Exploit
by BuggyFiction
Summary: Paris was feeling a bit stale, who knew that one person could change your life so dramatically that even you wanted to change your ways? But how was he to know that Bella Cullen would change his life this drastically? ALL HUMAN set after White Collar series finale.
1. Chapter 1

Bella closed her laptop with a wide smile on her face before taking a sip of her glass as she looked over the vineyard that her uncle kept as a business. While his winery made an excellent wine, subtle and complex, she didn't drink during the day, and if she could go around it, she didn't drink at all. She wanted to keep her mind sharp, not dull it with alcohol.

The South of France was beautiful, she loved the lavender fields of their neighbors, the color and scent of it was extremely calming to her and she loved painting it. The Provence had its own quirky charm, and even after 500 years of belonging to France, the dialect was different and the people were different too. It was a great area to disappear to.

It was also a great area to make someone disappear when needed, and that was a thought her siblings liked to have. Bella, not so much. Her siblings were like wrecking balls, get what they wanted by all means necessary and Bella was a lot more elegant with that, and she had her uncle to thank for that.

Her uncle didn't appreciate his brother's way of handling things. Messy. Hard handed. Skilled, sure, but they didn't mind collateral damage. Uncle Garrett taught Bella to appreciate her own skills, the finer things in life, and how to get them with grace and charm. And not to get caught.

If there was one person in the world she trusted, it was Uncle Garrett. His vineyard had been her escape for years during the summers, and she had made it her home a year ago after something had happened at home. Bella had never felt appreciated and loved by her family as much as her siblings. She was the youngest, and it felt like she was a burden to them.

Bella was free now and loving it. But the vineyard and the immediate surroundings didn't do it for her anymore. So instead she had been focussing on honing her skills on the computer. Learning new techniques to infiltrate websites and systems, and practicing them on dodgy hedge funds, funneling money to charities she liked without leaving a digital trace. Or use it on their local supermarket's store to lower the prices and get groceries for cheap. Stuff like that.

She wanted to see art. She wanted to experience something other than Marseilles or Cannes or Nice. Paris. She wanted to go to Paris.

"What's today's lucky charity?" Uncle Garrett greeted her as he walked onto the deck and took a seat next to her. He was wearing his usual overalls and having worn them too much it had faded them, stained them with grapes and there were patches on the areas where it had torn. He looked like a typical gardener with that strawhat on his head, and the image always made Bella smile. Uncle Garrett was a great businessman, and this bumbling gardener persona was a good distraction.

"The French Federation of Guide Dog Association received a generous donation from a douchebag in India," she replied as she took a sip of her drink. "Je m'ennuie."

Garrett laughed and shook his head. "If you're bored, why not do a hygiene inspection?"

"Because they're boring!"

"Or check the software?"

"Already did that yesterday," Bella pouted. "I'd love to go to Paris, climb the steps of the Sacre Coeur basilica, take photos of the panoramic view of the city and paint it. Or go to Versailles. Disney Land. The Moulin Rouge. Musée d'Orsay. The Louvre. Oh! The Centre Pompidou!"

Garrett looked at his cousin and sighed. He knew she'd gotten bored with the area. While it was beautiful, he didn't allow her to stray further than Marseilles and they found her there on a weekly basis. Her mind needed to be engaged, and she'd been talking about Paris for years. She was old enough now, and skilled enough, to look after herself and he hated to admit it he wished she wasn't. "For how long?"

"I don't know. Until I get bored? Or until I have had enough? It's Paris, Uncle Garrett."

"Very well. Allow me to make a few calls to arrange an apartment for you."

Bella's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Really?"

"You're not a prisoner, Bella, you can go wherever you please. I can't say, however, that I won't miss your company."

"I promise I'll stay in touch."

"You'd better," he said as he took out his phone. "Don't get into any trouble, either. I'd hate to have to bail you out."

Bella laughed and hugged her uncle. "I won't get in trouble. I'm too good to get caught," she replied as she let go of him. "I will pack a bag and can I drive up to Paris?"

"You can." Garrett nodded. "Take the Aston Martin if you want."

She scrunched up her nose then. "That car won't survive Paris. I'm taking my truck." Oh, she'd noticed his wince. Uncle Garrett wasn't a fan of her truck. He called it a driving disaster, ready to fall apart. She liked it. It was simple and inconspicuous. Just because she could drive a fast and flashy car didn't mean that she should. Just like how easily she could drive to Marseille and take the plane to Paris. No, she wanted to drive.

Blast the cobwebs out of her mind and focus. And enjoying herself and the finer things in life away from the vineyard.

Grinning, she got up from her chair, kissed her uncle on the cheek and skipped off to her room to pack.

~o.O.o~

She liked to drive. And the fun part about driving to Paris was that it took her through all the small and scenic villages on the way. She could have taken the faster way, but there was something romantic about driving through the countryside. Churches were usually the center of the village, surrounded by a bar and some shops, narrow but clean streets and colorful houses. Great places to lie low, too. Which was the whole reason Uncle Garrett had a vineyard in Provence.

The only downside of France was that it was so close to Italy where her family had a home, filled with some people who did clean up jobs for the family when they fucked up or wanted someone out of the way. The vineyard was protected though, and in a city like Paris, Bella was sure she could look out for herself.

She stayed the night in Précy-sous-Thil, a small village in the Bourgogne and stayed at a bed-and-breakfast. There was a castle on a hill nearby and she wanted to check it out and check the view but the owners of the bed-and-breakfast treated her to some very decent wine and Bella rested up so she could drive to Paris without - hopefully, a wine hangover the next morning.

Her uncle sent her the address to the apartment he had arranged for her and when she looked it up on Google Maps, she had fallen in love. And likely overkill for just one person but the area looked great and convenient, and while it was near the Eiffel tower, from what she could see was that nobody could look into the windows. The location made her excited.

The wine allowed her to sleep well, and after breakfast and paying for her stay, she was on the road again.

The first thing she noticed about Paris when she officially drove into the city was that the Parisians absolutely loved their tunnels. It wasn't until she was almost at the apartment Uncle Garret had arranged for her she saw some green, and after her navigation directed her to her apartment complex, she was even happier. Trees surrounded the building and that meant there wouldn't be any nosy neighbors!

One of her uncle's closest friends and the occasional partner in crime, Liam, greeted her at the door. Liam was Irish and damn proud of it, never allowing you to forget that, either. He could best be described as the muscle. He was built like a tank and freakishly tall, but he had a soft spot for Bella and his jokes were horrendously hilarious. "Liam!"

"Bella, long time no see," Liam greeted her with a warm hug. "I was thinking your uncle was joking when he said you wanted to be in Paris for a while."

"I felt I needed to engage my brain, what's wrong with wanting to be in Paris?"

"Nothing, Paris is an amazing city, especially for your interests," he replied as he led them inside and used the keys to get through the first set of doors. "Art wise, of course. And I wouldn't care about your other skills. I know a good lawyer."

Bella barked out a laugh and shook her head. "Thanks." The interior of the building was rich, everything was made of hardwood floors and wooden walls, giving it a classy look, and a red carpet was on the floor to prevent scarring. Using a key to one doors, there were yet another set of stairs leading to her apartment, the door secured with keys and a keypad. "What is this? Fort Knox?"

"You're in the 16th arrondissement, Bella. People who live here own a lot of money. It's the third richest area of Paris, and the other two are next to this one. People are fond of their security and this is one reason Garrett choose for you to use this apartment, so he knew you were safe."

Liam opened the door and it led to a large entry hall with a set of stairs leading to the second layer of the apartment. There were still wooden floors, well polished, with a rug here and there, and art on the walls. "Holy shit," Bella remarked as she realized the scale of her new digs.

"Holy shit indeed," Liam agreed. "Six bedrooms, Three bathrooms, a dining room, a reception area and you're going to love the kitchen."

Bella's jaw almost fell onto the floor as he led her further into the area. "This is not a flat."

"It is in this area," Liam laughed. "Come on, Garrett wanted you to be well taken care of, live in the luxury you're used to. There's a parking space for you in front of the building, and you even have a cellar with your name on it."

As they explored the apartment together, Bella started to realize more and more that everything she liked, was inside this building. There was an easel strategically placed in one of the rooms with a window where you could peek to the trees and see the Eiffel Tower. A large kitchen where she could cook, a brand new laptop and computer in the library. "He doesn't want me to leave this apartment, does he? Well, tough. This is Paris. I will enjoy Paris and this apartment."

"I told him you'd say that," Liam replied as he grabbed the binder off the kitchen counter and handed it to her. "Everything you need to know about this place. Your access code, there's even a lift if you don't want to take the stairs to your apartment. If you have questions, don't hesitate to call, but I have to go, I have places to be."

"Thanks, Liam," Bella smiled at him and hugged him. "I promise, I won't get into trouble."

"You can get into trouble, just don't get caught." he winked at her before leaving the apartment.

Bella waited an hour, to make sure Liam had truly left and took stock of what was in the kitchen. Much to her surprise, it was fully stocked with the usual she usually bought from the supermarket. "Fuck him," she muttered as she gathered her keys and her purse and explored the surrounding neighborhood.

One of her rules was not to steal where she lived; it would be noticeable and it could complicate things in the long run. However, she wanted to get to know her neighborhood and get a feel of the city, the people, and find places to hide out, or to disappear.

She took her time getting to know Paris, sometimes on foot, sometimes by public transport. Researching on her laptop, hacking into charities to see if there were dirty people around, she was itching to do something in person. Robbing a museum was still too risky.

She hadn't grifted for a while now, she'd only done things on her computer and she was rusty. No, she needed to get back in the game before she would do something stupid as trying to get herself an original Picasso a week back in the game. Not to mention, she wanted to swap it out with a forgery, and that would take some time to get right.

Bella went on a shopping spree for clothes, she had taken no fancy clothes with her, and she was tired of wearing jeans. Dresses. Body hugging dresses. Shoes. Makeup.

There were a lot of galleries in the area where the museum was. She had secured herself a job at one that had a perfect view of the street and the museum and it even had a little studio attached where artists could practise their art if they didn't have space to do so at home. Bella graciously took advantage out of that, practicing brush strokes and lines. Nothing too specific, never something too specific but it gave her something to do when it was quiet in the gallery.

She was posing as a restoration artist between jobs, specializing in expressionism. All she needed to do was wait for an in at the museum. She knew that there were several restaurateurs at work at the moment on a lovely piece of Picasso from his expressionism period, and all they needed was to win a prize, or get into an accident. Preferably several of the team.

She had time, though. There was no need to rush things. It wasn't her top priority. Aside from her cover job at the gallery, she enjoyed all the luxuries Paris offered. Money. Good food. Oblivious tourists. Bella made sure she made the obligatory tourist shots for Uncle Garrett, but other than that, she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

After a few weeks, she still didn't find herself bored, but figured it was time to explore the Picasso museum on the internet and see if she could get into their servers. Bella wasn't an art thief, a thief, sure, but her uncle always wanted a Picasso, and she would give it to him. Her forgery was coming along nicely after finding the right materials to paint with.

And now it was time to familiarize herself with the organization. Their mail server was so easy to get into. It didn't have the right certificates and security, and they all kept their mail on the server itself.

Reading the mail was as if she was reading a very dramatic book. One of the guys running the show had impregnated an employee and demanded she'd get rid of it. Another had gambling debts and yet another had spent time in jail for domestic violence and he hadn't stopped his behavior. It had only gotten worse and he was the bully of the Picasso museum, and filthy rich which now allowed him to get away with everything.

Getting the painting was now a secondary objective. She would make sure the guy would get what he deserved and maybe take out one of the other members.

Marcel Girard was now on her personal shitlist, and she would find everything she could on him. Find out who he was, where he lived, maybe even look inside his house. Perhaps even…

Oh. Yes!

"I'm a fucking genius," she grinned to herself.

~o.O.o~

Marcel Girard was a 53-year-old male with anger issues. Fortunately, he was single. Bella found out that his history of domestic violence was longer than she'd originally read in the emails. Before becoming part of the group of museum owners of the Picasso museum, he worked as a bouncer for nightclubs and as a police officer. The Police discharged him after too many arrests involved him beating the crap out of suspects and the police getting sued or the criminals got away from Girard using excessive force.

He was only an owner because he put a lot of money into the museum, and from the news clippings she read online it was almost as if he appeared to be sitting on his personal nest egg while none of the paintings in the building were owned by him but by the foundation and donors.

Every morning on his way to work, Girard stopped by Starbucks for an Americano and at the same pâtisserie for breakfast. Sometimes he bought macaroons, sometimes a pain au chocolat. Or even a simple croissant.

On the outside, he was clean, on the inside… Bella didn't want to touch him with a ten foot pole. Girard was filth, and it would be so damn pleasing to take him down, and let him know that a woman was the one taking him down, too.

During the weekend, Girard received a text message about some party in one of the best nightclubs in Paris, and Bella decided to go too, she needed to let off some steam. She hadn't had fun like that in ages, and if she played it well, she wouldn't even need to relieve some of the restoration crew.

Then again, her Uncle Garrett would kill her, and there were no guarantees. It was best to focus on the task at hand and gift a few of the crew some long vacations.


	2. Chapter 2

The Museum had just been renovated, but there were still works of Picasso that needed to be cleaned and restored, and Mia Robbins had been working on one for weeks now with her coworkers. Mia Robbins was Bella's art expert alias, or at least one of them, but definitely the most secure.

There was Patricia, a 26-year-old vegan who had gone to a fancy art school in Paris. She had dreads in her hair and her general dressing attire was something Bella didn't want to be found dead in.

Claudette was one of the older people, mid-forties, her short, curly hair already graying in some areas but one of the nicest people on the team. Warm. Dedicated to her job and dressed accordingly.

Pierre really liked what he was doing. He liked his baguettes and always visited the nearest boulangerie during lunchtime to get his jambon beurre. Bella didn't like them, because it held more butter than actual ham on the baguette. Sickening.

George was an American expat like Bella, and he seemed to know what he was doing. Always sharply dressed in jeans that were on the tight side and simple shirts. The bit of scruff on his face made it all a perfect picture with his brown hair all neat and always a sparkle in his beautiful blue eyes. His accent had hints of a long-gone Southern accent, likely Missouri. George walked with a slight swagger, and he was overly confident of himself. Always smiling. Always seemingly up to something.

Bella didn't trust George. He was too… perfect.

She was unable to find anything about George Barrigan online aside from an apartment in his name in Montmartre. Picasso had a studio in Montmartre when he lived in Paris, and even to this day the area was filled with struggling artists, hopeful to be the new Picasso. It was a quaint little village inside the city though. Cobblestones on the roads, a lot of bistros, trees and other green, even a vineyard. Bella had already visited it and the Sacré-Cœur that was the area.

When Bella decided that the day had come to pull off her plan, she grew increasingly fed up with George, as he remained behind too. She had no other choice but to continue her restoration job with him. George seemed to get growingly annoyed by her presence, too.

"We should get something to eat," George eventually said as he leaned against one of the empty tables, looking at her.

Bella shrugged. "If you're hungry."

"I am."

"It's okay, you know, we're working late. I won't tell if you want to get something to eat. I'm fine. I merely want to finish this area so I can go over it again after the weekend." Bella smiled at him. "I'm not hungry."

"Mia, you have to eat something." George smiled back at her. God, he was gorgeous.

She narrowed her eyes on him. "It's just you and me in the building at the moment and I feel you want me out of here," she remarked. "What are you planning on doing? Do I need to call the cops on you?"

George huffed. "What do you take me for? I'm working late, just like you."

"And while I'm dedicated of finishing today's work, you're eager to do something else, aren't you?"

George moved over to her and removed the soft brush from her hands, brushing her hand with his as he kept his eyes on her. "I'm just saying, we should eat something before we pass out."

"We could just as well go home," she stated. She'd return a few hours later, swap out the paintings and be done with it. "After I finish, but you don't have to wait for me."

George let out a breath and shook his head. "Workaholic, huh?"

She picked up her brush again and resumed her stance as she turned away from him. "We've been working together for the last month and a half, you hadn't noticed?" Bella retorted playfully. "We're almost done with this painting. I just want to spend more time with it so we can finish it next week, what's the harm in that?"

"Well, it's a Friday night."

"I have nothing better to do, do you?" She turned around to face him again. "Like… robbing the museum when I'm gone?"

George looked surprised. "What! No! What a stupid idea is that! Honestly, Mia, I'm offended. I love working here, why would I do anything to endanger my job here at the museum?"

Bella shrugged. "Maybe because you don't look like someone who should work behind the scenes of a museum? Compared with the rest of us, you are far too well dressed. I imagine you're spending your days off in suits or something."

"And that's your only basis?" George laughed, shaking his head. "I just like to dress sharp."

"And you're super careful not to get any solutions on your clothes, either," Bella replied, as she checked him from head to toe with her eyes. "Not a single drop."

"I'm just not as clumsy as you."

"Right," she replied with a sigh. "You're insufferable," Bella added as she turned around and started to clean up. "Forget working ahead, you and I are leaving."

"We?" George scoffed. "No, you go, I'll finish this," he reached for one of the pots with brushes in her hands.

"I thought you were hungry."

His jaw fell open and quickly closed it again as he nodded in agreement. "I said that."

"That's where this whole discussion started," Bella replied as she continued to put away their tools. "Be a dear and put the painting in the vault?" She would definitely come back later. Earlier in the day when Patricia had left, she had swiped Patricia's access card to the locked doors of the main exhibition area where the painting hung that Bella had recreated.

Girard was visiting family for the weekend thanks to some carefully crafted emails from Bella, and Bella was ready to go to town with her idea. Everything was in place, except for George. George was an obstacle.

Bella made sure that they both left the museum and killed some time by walking around the area for a few hours. Eating something before returning to the museum. She used her tablet to disable the cameras in the building - the fun side of modern day security was that it was so easily hacked if you knew what you were doing - and she disabled the alarms attached to the paintings, before using the back entrance to gain access to the museum.

Much to her surprise, most of the usually locked doors were wide open, and she could have sworn that she and George had locked them all.

Bella took her forgery out of one of the empty lockers, she retrieved her foldable baton out of her bag and made sure she had a pair of scissors in her back pocket. The museum was dark, only the emergency lighting was on, but she could easily find her way as she'd practiced her way over the weeks that she had been at the museum.

Using Patricia's card to get into the main exhibition area, she froze. George Barrigan was cutting a Picasso from the frame. Her Picasso. "What the actual fuck!" she eventually exclaimed.

George quickly turned around with his flashlight and his eyes widened in surprise upon seeing her. "Mia… it's not what it looks like…"

Bella nodded as she let out a deep breath. "It's exactly what it looks like. I'm not fucking surprised. Pick a different painting, I have plans for that one," she commanded as she walked over to him with the forgery in her hands. "And don't try anything, I'm armed."

George smirked as he happily stepped aside, his eyes wide in curiosity. "I didn't think peg you for an art thief."

"Because I'm not," she replied as she cut the wires of the alarm and swapped the portraits out.

"Nor for a forger…" George moved so he could watch her handiwork. "Which you're not. Your technique is sloppy, do you want to get caught?"

She said nothing as she started to walk back towards the doors. "You'd better follow me out, I will put the alarm back on once I'm gone, and with those wires snipped, people will know," Bella hinted as she opened the doors and went out the same way she came from.

She heard George letting out a groan, then something ripping and footsteps of him following her. "I don't want to get caught, but I can explain."

"No need. We were never here. I will not ask you what you're going to do with your Picasso, and you're not going to ask what I'm up to."

"We're just two strangers in the night," George agreed. "You got me curious though."

Bella let him out the back and made sure she locked the door. "See you around," she headed towards the car she'd stolen and parked a few streets away. Making sure Barrigan didn't follow her, she got into the car and drove off to Girard's residence.

Once parked, she quickly found her way into Girard's home and hid the painting in the attic. She wiped down the car before abandoning it in front of his house. She completed her mission. As she walked through Paris, she stopped by several bars for a drink to have herself a good alibi and eventually reset the alarms and cameras of the museum.

By 6 am, she stumbled back into the door, reeking of alcohol and the doorman helped her to her apartment, laughing at her and making fun of her in French. Once she was in the safety of her very secure apartment, she hid her tools in a convenient hiding place under the floorboards, took a shower and put her clothes in the washing machine.

She was too pumped to go to sleep. There was no doubt in her mind that the art theft was now known - likely because of the painting George had stolen - and all she had to do was wait a bit before sending an anonymous and untraceable tip to the police that there was another painting stolen but replaced by a forgery and that they could find the painting in Marcel Girard's home.

The asshole was going down. At least for the next two years. No more hitting women, and he'd likely be too tainted to remain one of the big bosses in charge of the Picasso museum, after all, he stole one of the paintings!

But, until then, she still had a job to go to on Monday as not to raise suspicions.

~o.O.o~

Marcel Girard got taken away by the police after an anonymous tip came in about him swapping one of the Picassos for a forgery and hiding the original in his home and George Barrigan never returned back for work.

How stupid was he?

The investigation that followed had the police search every home of everybody who worked there, and Bella had made sure that before she started to work there that she had an apartment in Mia's name in Bondy, made sure she visited that often and, Mia was cleared of all wrongdoing.

Uncle Garrett was proud of her, the news of a painting being stolen and one of the museum's owner stealing another reached the rest of the world, which was maybe a stupid idea, but she'd used an alias that nobody in her family would recognize. Bella was proud of her work; another asshole off the streets.

She liked that feeling so much, that she was going to do that more often. But she had to be more careful.

Bella quit her job after two more months of working for the museum and she was now enjoying the sun in a beautiful 17th century Botanical Garden with a nice cup of coffee and a good book, resetting her brain, relax in a great environment.

"Great weather, isn't it?"

Bella let out a groan as she looked up to the direction of the voice. "Aren't you supposed to be elsewhere right now? Enjoying the lovely view on your wall?"

George scoffed as he sat down in the grass next to her. "As if I'm stupid enough to keep it around."

She closed her book and took a sip of her coffee. "You didn't show up for work, the police are still looking for you."

"And if they find me, I'll have a perfectly good explanation, don't worry about me, I've been doing this for a while," he laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh yeah? How long?"

"A while," George replied playfully. "I was saddened to hear that you didn't keep the item I originally went for, why's that?"

"Because the boss beat women, and now he's off the streets for two years," she replied casually, taking another sip of her coffee.

"But the item! I can't believe you did that!"

"There's more to this world than pretty things, and I already have everything I need," Bella replied with a shrug. "I enjoy the finer things in life, make sure I have the funds to do so, but I do it for the fun, for the rush. This? Was one hell of a rush and I want to do it again someday."

George hummed. "Perhaps we could do something together?"

Bella barked out a laugh. "Dream on."

"You have no idea who I am, do you?"

Bella sighed as she put her book in her bag and got to her feet. George was a self-obsessed egomaniac who thought he was the shit. Such a turnoff. "I know that you love yourself a little bit too much," she winked at him. "Have a good day, George."

George rose to his feet and smiled brightly at her as he clasped his hands behind him. "Can I invite you for a drink?"

She narrowed her eyes on him. His self-assurance was almost pouring out of his pores, it was sickening. "Some other time, when you're not pretending to be someone you're not."

"Mia, that's what I do, who I am. What you are. We are always people we're not."

"You, maybe. Not me," she replied, slightly annoyed. "This conversation is over," she added before heading towards the exit of the Botanical Gardens. She could feel that George was following her out, much like a puppy. "What do you want, George?" she asked tiredly. "I'm not in the mood to play games. I want to enjoy my freedom and have fun." Bella threw her empty cup in the trash can that they passed. "Alone."

"I'm bored."

"Not my problem."

"Do you know how hard it is to find like minded people? Who don't speak French? Come on, where are you from?"

"If I tell you, will you then leave?"

"Maybe," George grinned as he playfully ran his hand through his hair. "I'll start. I'm from Missouri."

"Ha! Called it!" Bella punched the air with her fist. "I knew it. You still have a slight accent."

"I don't!"

"Yeah…. You do," she nodded. "I'm from Las Vegas."

"Nice!"

She shrugged as she stopped walking and turned to him. "Will you leave me alone now?" They were so close to the exit of the gardens, Bella couldn't wait to disappear into the crowd and to go home. Her balcony was peaceful enough and, despite the 2,1 million Parisians and give or take a million of tourists in Paris, the risk of running into George again would be zero.

"Have one drink with me? One. That's all I ask."

"You're like a child! Oh my god! No!" Bella laughed. "Go make yourself be un-bored."

"That's not a word."

"It is now," Bella said as she walked through the gates and into the street, silently cursing herself for leaving the garden at the wrong end, this was one of the exits on the Seine, even further away from her own apartment. She'd have to cross the bridge to go to the metro station. Not that it was a crime, because the Seine was beautiful and all, but she wanted to get rid of George quickly, and this was not the way to get rid of him.

Unless she jumped into the water.

But let's not.

She decided to ignore him as she continued to walk onto the busy bridge. With the sun out, there were a lot of pedestrians on the bridge, and the amount of cars made it congested for them. It was a good thing the bridge wasn't a fragile looking thing, that was for sure.

They were about half way on the bridge when George pulled her away and started pushing through the crowd while he dragged her along. She could feel a burning sensation in her arm, and was wondering what the hell George was doing. "What are you doing?"

"You've been shot, we need to get off the street," he quickly said, causing her to stumble, stop and look at her arm in shock. "Don't look, keep running, come on," George coaxed her. "I'll get you somewhere safe."


	3. Chapter 3

She wasn't clear how, or when, but Bella realized they were in a car now, and George was driving them to someplace. "Someone shot me?"

"You've never been shot before?"

She looked down at her arm and it wasn't hurting; instead, blood was coming out of it and there was a tie around her arm. "No."

"Don't remove that tie. If you do, I have to take you to the emergency room, but I doubt you'd want that."

"No, no hospital," she replied before realizing that she really didn't appreciate blood. "I need to throw up," she added as she stopped looking at her arm. She hadn't felt pain at first, but now it was hurting like a motherfucker. George didn't stop the car, and she didn't fancy rolling out of it, so instead, she threw up on the seat next to her. "Maybe it's a good idea to point out I don't like blood?"

"We're practically there, I promise. Any idea who prefers you dead?"

"Me dead? What makes you say this bullet wasn't for you?!" Bella shot at him as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She recognized the area of being Montmartre, where George lived, and he was taking her further away from her own home, and that wasn't the plan.

"Because I'm dead already," George replied grim. "Only two people know I'm still alive and I trust them with my life."

Bella felt the color drain from her face. "Stop the car." She had the feeling she needed to create as much distance between herself and George as possible. If someone faked their own death, it meant that they were trouble. "Stop the car, George!"

"We're almost there. My friend will patch you up."

"Stop the car!" Bella reached into her bag, grabbed her baton, and smashed the side window. "If you don't stop the car, it will be your head next."

George sighed as he stopped the car in front of a traffic light, reached back and grabbed her baton before he started driving again. "Nice baton, I used to know someone who used it a lot, she was an insurance investigator," he noted with a fond smile on his face, almost as if was remembering something. "So, who wants you dead?"

"No one!" She shot at him, hissing as a wave of heat shot through her arm. "I'm no one and I didn't piss anyone off enough to kill me."

"Because you see, I'm thinking that was a warning shot," George replied as he looked in the rear-view mirror to check on Mia who was looking awfully pale. "It was obviously done with a silencer as we didn't hear a gunshot, and maybe the next time you're dead."

"And who's saying it wasn't you who shot me?"

"I would never. I hate guns. And in Europe it's not allowed to carry a weapon like it is in the States," he replied calmly as he parked the car in a bay at the sidewalk and pulled out of the car. George then helped her out and pulled her along to his friend Luc. "My friend used to be a doctor, he still is, but for our kind of individuals. You can trust him."

"I don't even trust you!"

"You don't have to trust me, just trust that I'm trying to help you get your arm fixed up and have you stay out of a hospital. You're safe here." George opened a door and dragged her through. "Luc! Mon ami a été blessé par balle!"

"Je ne sais pas votre ami!" Bella hissed. Fuck that. She wasn't his friend, but yes, she was shot.

"Neal Flanigan, always bringing trouble to my doorstep," a man looking like a doctor appeared out of one of the rooms. He spoke with a French accent, but his English was brilliant.

"That's your name? Neal Flanigan?"

George, Neal, sighed. "One of them. You know me by George, he knows me by Neal."

"You look like a Neal, not much of a George." Bella winced as Luc gently grabbed her arm. "Careful!"

Luc hummed as he guided her into a fully kitted medical room. "Have a seat. I'll fix you right up. What's your name?" He asked as he took a syringe and jabbed Bella's arm.

"Motherfucker!"

"I doubt that," Luc laughed. "But I love your sense of humor. I'm going to jab you some more," he said as he pushed the syringe in her arm again. "How about some pain relief?"

"Please."

"What's your name?"

Bella winced as he jabbed her arm again. She needed to focus. "Mia."

"Nice to meet you, Mia, my name is Luc and you're going to be alright."

~o.O.o~

With a few stitches in her arm and it all bandaged up, she and Neal or George or whatever his name was were standing outside Luc's office. The first time was free. She was still woozy from the pain medication Luc had given her, but she just wanted to go home.

"Drive you home?"

"Not in that car," Bella said as she pointed at the car she had vomited in. "And what's your name, truly?"

George sighed and hung his head in defeat. "Neal. It's Neal. George is an alias of mine."

"Nice to meet you, Neal. I'm Bella." Bella smiled at him. "And if you could accompany me to Trocadéro, that would be lovely. I'll have a friend pick me up."

"The 16th? Wow, I thought you lived in Bondy!"

"Mia did."

"I could just take you home?"

Sighing, Bella leaned against the wall and looked at him. "Neal, if you can get us a car that doesn't smell like vomit, you can take me home. I just want to go home and figure out what the hell is going on, and if it's not me, it's definitely you." Her house was secure enough for Neal not to be able to break in and she was sure to change the codes, just in case.

"I can help you figure it out."

"You've done enough," she smiled at him. "You helped me get patched up! Go get us a car."

"I'm not leaving you, you're still woozy and your life might be in danger."

"Oh, for fuck's sake! Fine, I'll call my friend, then YOU can deal with him," she said as she fished her phone out of her bag and dialed Liam's number.

"_Hey, Bella."_

"Hey Liam," she replied. "Can you come and pick me up in Montmartre? Rue Gabrielle."

It was quiet for a minute before the questions started. _"What are you doing there? Is everything all right? Why can't you travel home on your own?"_

"I wouldn't call if it weren't necessary."

"_For fuck's sake, lass! I'm on my way."_

Bella put her phone away and glanced at Neal. "What?"

"You have a friend called Liam?"

She shrugged. "He's cool. He's my contact while I'm in Paris if I need him."

"All right," Neal said as he took place leaning against the wall next to Bella, while keeping his eyes on her. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine."

"That's the adrenaline talking, it's not easy getting shot at and potentially having someone wanting to kill you."

"Have you been shot before?"

"Yeah," he smiled at her. "It's no fun, but I also know that you shouldn't be alone, at least not until tomorrow."

"That's fine. I have Liam."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Ew, no," she scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Could you please stop trying to take advantage of the fact that my walls are slightly dented and interrogate me?"

Neal shrugged. "It's fun."

"No, it's not. I'm asking you nicely."

"It's not like you want to go back in that car and retrieve your baton, is it?" He laughed. "And don't worry. Luc knows people who can get rid of the car without a trace of any one of us ever having been in it. Especially after what just happened."

Bella remained quiet and closed her eyes for just a second before she could hear a car speed into the street and slam on the breaks upon seeing them.

"Fuck me sideways," Liam said as he got out of the car. "Looking good for a dead guy, Neal."

Neal let out a groan. "Out of all the Liams in the world, it had to be you."

"You two know each other?" Bella said confused as Liam lifted her up. "I got shot."

"What!"

"She got shot." Neal nodded. "Don't worry, Luc stitched her up, and she has some antibiotics in her purse."

Liam helped Bella into the car and looked at Neal. "How did you two meet?"

"We both were working a con at the museum," Neal chuckled. "And she has no clue who I am, which is weirdly refreshing."

Liam grumbled. "Of course you'd be the idiot to steal a Picasso for himself… Who was the bullet meant for?"

"Not me, at least not that I know of."

"And not for me!" Bella called from the car, making herself comfortable on the backseat. "I'm the invisible girl, nobody of importance knows about me!"

"Yeah, she's high," Liam sighed. "Look, it's best if you come back with us, Neal, at least until we figure out she's safe… and you. Seeing as you're here and all."

"Oh, I'm safe." Neal put up his hands. "I don't have any enemies, haven't made new ones…"

"Until we're sure about that, you're coming with me. Bella's home is big enough for the two of you and it's as secure as a vault," Liam pointed at the station wagon. "Get in, Caffrey. Once you're safe, you can leave. And don't try to fight me, I've had to forcefully take you with me before."

Neal pouted as he was being stared down by Liam and reluctantly got into the passenger seat. "Well, some things never change…"

"I don't want him in my house," Bella muttered, using her bag as a pillow. "I don't trust him."

"You have nothing to say about this, Bella. I do," Liam replied as he started the car and drove off. "I'll explain later."

"Okay," she sighed.

~o.O.o~

There was food in her dream. She couldn't quite figure out what kind of food, but the smell was delicious. She followed the scent of the food as it lured her through her house until she turned a corner and a sharp pain appeared in her arm. Looking at it, it was bleeding, and it kept on bleeding. There was no way to stop it and eventually, her arm fell off.

"Bella, wake up," Liam gently shook her. "It's all right, lass, you're safe, just wake up."

"My arm," she whined.

"I know, just wake up, you're having a bad dream."

Bella's eyes shot open, and she sat up with a jolt, her head slightly more clear than what it had been previously and she was so hungry, she could eat a horse. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Liam for a moment, before cocking her head in confusion. "You don't cook, so who's cooking?"

"Neal."

"You brought him into my home?!" she exclaimed loudly. "I don't know him and you invited him over? Have you lost your mind?!"

"Bella, breathe." Liam sat down on the coffee table in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know the rules Garrett gave you. I wouldn't invite anyone in here if that person wasn't safe. I know Neal. I've worked with him before, kept him safe during one of his cons, and he's a good guy," he said calmly. "I promise you, he's not here to hurt you, nor will he steal anything from this house, because if he does, he knows I will come after him and he doesn't want that to happen."

"There is a complete stranger in my house. Cooking."

"And he will stay until we found out who's trying to kill who. It's not as if you don't have the space, Bella."

"He faked his own death."

"For a fresh start, which he deserved. 2.1 million people in Paris and you happen to run into the famous Neal Caffrey, who goes by the name Neal Flanigan now. He's not even Irish. I'm offended."

Bella scratched her head as she tried to think. "I've never heard of him."

"Really? He's one of the best con artists of all time. I figured he was part of your teachings."

Bella said nothing as she got to her feet and walked to her office to get her laptop, her mind racing with everything that had happened that day, and also wondering if she put her stuff away now that she would entertain 'one of the best con artists of all time' for a while.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked as she walked back into the room and sat back down on the couch. "Going to google him?"

Bella huffed. "No, I'm going to see if I can get the CCTV of that bridge."

Liam took her laptop and shook his head. "What you will do is have some orange juice and food."

"I don't see why she can't do both." Neal appeared out of nowhere with a glass of orange juice and handed Bella her laptop back. "Food's ready in twenty minutes, how are you feeling?"

"Thanks," Bella replied as she drank her orange juice in one go as she kept looking at Neal.

"Don't worry, Liam already warned me he'll break every bone in my body should I do something stupid," Neal assured her, a beam on his face, his eyes sparkling. "Nice digs, though!"

She nodded as she opened her laptop and got to work. Bella was still working on getting access when Neal came to get her for food, but encouraged her to bring the laptop to the dinner table. The plates on the table surprised her, all looking restaurant ready. "Wow, who are you trying to impress?" Bella said as she sat down and carefully maneuvered her laptop on the dinner table, then remembering her nightmare as she had another whiff of the food. "Let's hope my arm doesn't fall off," she muttered to herself.

"You didn't have that many supplies, so I winged it. I sauteed the chicken in a port reduction and I sauteed onions and mushrooms with some garlic in butter for on the side. There's pasta or French fries to choose from as your starch. As vegetables I grilled some asparagus."

"It looks fancy," Bella nodded. "Thank you for the food."

"Neal was pretending to be a chef when we first met," Liam said as he grabbed a chair and sat at the table. "Preparing food for a wealthy family who had something he wanted."

"Allegedly," Neal pointed out. "They never proved that I was the one who stole their 17th century bronze statue of a woman kneeling."

"It wasn't even worth that much," Liam laughed. "Their chandelier cost more than that!"

"Sometimes stealing something for fun is fun, I just liked the statue," he sighed as he, too, sat down at the table.. "It's all gone now," he lamented. "Maybe I should steal back everything I lost..."

"You're dead, maybe it's a terrible plan," Liam replied as he took a bite from his food. "Shouldn't you be retired, anyway?"

"Ah, but this is so much more fun," Neal laughed. "Getting in trouble occasionally… meeting new people… enjoying life."

"Don't you miss your old life?" Bella asked as she immediately took a bite and was surprised that it tasted incredible, too. She didn't draw her eyes off of her laptop as she was very close to getting onto the CCTV system and once that happened, she'd drop even eating. She would prove that someone was after Neal, and not her.

"Sometimes, it's just people that you miss," Neal replied. "I'm actually quite enjoying myself, keeping busy and such. Paris is such a remarkable city where everything is possible. If I get bored with this place, which I doubt, but I might go to Rome next."

"Italy is overrated," Bella replied as she took another bite of her food.

"You need to inform Garrett about what happened, Bella." Liam took a sip of his wine. He knew Bella was likely going to crash later that evening, she still looked like she could do with a nap.

"Oh, hell no. Not until we're sure." She shook her head. "If I call him and tell him what happened, he'll be on the first plane here or demand I return immediately." When she saw Neal's questionable look on his face, she continued. "My uncle."

She finished her plate and with one last keystroke; she was into the CCTV system. It was easy to find the bridge she was shot at, rewound the time and hit record once she had found her and Neal on the bridge. "Hmm," she hummed as she pushed her empty plate to the side and positioned her laptop better.

"What? You see anything?" Neal got up from his chair and positioned himself behind her, leaning in close to look at the screen. Bella moved her head so she could look at him. "Have you ever heard of personal space?"

"But your laptop doesn't have that big of a screen."

"It's a 17 inch screen! And with the quality of CCTV cameras these days, it'll be crystal clear, so take a step back or sit down next to me," she didn't take her eyes off of him, forcing him to sit down before she disconnected to the CCTV and opened her recording in one of her special programs dedicated to make things sharper, clearer. And, most importantly, she could zoom into a still of the video to hopefully see who took a shot at her.

And then prove the bullet hadn't been meant for her.

"There," Neal said as he pointed at the screen.

Bella took a screenshot and zoomed in on the picture. "He didn't even put a mask on or whatever," she muttered. The man had come close, very close, on that bridge and he was in full view of the camera. "Recognize him, Neal?"

"Nope."

"Liam?"

Liam moved over and looked over her shoulder. Scratching his head he let out a sigh. "Doesn't look too familiar to me… Maybe Garrett knows."

"Or, I could use facial recognition software."

"You have that?" Neal's eyes widened in surprise.

Bella shrugged. "I have access to more things you can imagine. The only downside is that I can only do it like ten minutes at a time so I'd have to narrow it down, or keep switching VPNs in case they catch me," she added. "I may be good, but not blocking the FBI kinda good. Their intrusion specialists are a bitch. Not to mention following the rotating incoming IP through a VPN, but also once she was in the system, they would work hard to kick her out.

"The FBI?"

"Or CIA, Interpol… Local government and law enforcement is easy but…"

"It's good to have limitations."

"It's not a limitation, it's just a bitch to hack into them and stay connected, and unless you know someone who works for one of those agencies and owes you a favor, we must do this slowly and hope that his face pings."

"They shot you and the shooter didn't show hesitation at all," Neal said, looking at her. "He looks like a pro and professionals don't miss. He'll come after you again. You really must have pissed someone off."

Bella closed her laptop and started to clear the table. "See, that's where you're wrong. I'm nobody and have done nothing to piss someone off. Stop saying that I have, this is getting annoying." She was happy that the two men shut up and after she cleared the table, she grabbed her laptop and headed to her bedroom.

She wanted to be alone. She could feel how the gravity of the shooting was sinking in, and she was worried that the person who shot her was a cleaner from Italy who worked for the family. Even her uncle Garrett was afraid of them as there was no hiding from them.

Yes, Bella was nobody. She was the youngest of the Cullens and she had fixed their shit, drawing the line at the dead bodies as she couldn't stand the sight of blood. She was invisible. Even in the circuit, nobody knew that the Cullens had another child. She was invisible.

She was Bella Swan to her friends, and Bella Swan didn't have enemies.

Bella locked the door of her bedroom and took a shower first. She was still wearing her bloodied clothes, and she felt icky. She would worry about other things later, she wanted to shake the bad feeling that she had about the shooting.

When Bella left to live with Uncle Garrett, being an adult and all, her siblings told her that nobody left the family and got away with it. Nobody. They didn't appreciate her wanting a life outside the family, they never had.

She didn't want her life and freedom to be fucked.


	4. Chapter 4

She hadn't been able to sleep that night. Her arm was hurting and the stitches were pulling. Whatever she tried, Bella couldn't get her mind to settle, so instead, she spent the night running her shooter's face through the FBI database. Disconnecting every 10 minutes.

By the end of the night, she saw the sun come up from her window and she had gotten nowhere. Even switching to her more powerful computer didn't work as the connections were so slow. Bella got dressed into something comfortable, knowing that two men were still in her home with her, and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee.

"Mornin'!" Neal greeted her happily. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." She sat down at the table and studied him. "You're looking fresh."

"Oh, yeah, the beds here are just fantastic," he added cheerfully. "What about you? Did you get some sleep?"

"No, and I didn't get anywhere with the facial recognition either. The servers were sluggish and it was just tiresome. I'll try again in a bit while most of the world is still dormant, I dunno." Bella gratefully accepted the mug of coffee and was stunned when her milk and sugar were already added. "What's this?"

"Come on," Neal smirked. "We've worked together for a nearly two months, we may change who we are for our jobs, but our coffee order will always be the same."

"You remembered my coffee order?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? Was all part of the job and after I saw you that night wanting that Picasso, I remembered stuff about you for the next time."

"Creep," Bella muttered as she savored her coffee. "Where's Liam?"

"Oh, I gave him a list of groceries to get, seeing as you don't have a lot in your home and he won't let either of us leave until we're certain what happened," Neal replied as he started to cook breakfast. "And he's running by my place to pick up some clothes for me. You have some cute clothes, but I don't fit them."

Bella cocked her head as she looked at his behind. "I don't know… you'd look terrific in a dress, some high heels…"

"Funny." Neal flipped the eggs. "Good to see you have your sense of humor back."

"Ah, but I have caffeine, it's the nectar of the Gods!" She took a sip of her coffee again and relaxed in her chair. "I can get used to this, someone else who cooks."

"Ah! I don't mind doing it, it's more fun to cook for more people," Neal replied as he slid the eggs onto some toast and set the plate down in front of Bella. "So, did you google me?"

"Why would I?"

"Aren't you at least curious about me?"

Bella stared at him for a moment and shook her head. "I trust Liam. Liam says you're all right, why would I bother looking you up online when I was doing other stuff? Besides, it's a lot more entertaining to get to know someone in person than to read things on the internet about them and half of it might not even be true."

Neal let out a snort. "You're so unlike other con artists I've met," he replied as he sat down in front of her. "Not self-absorbed, not working an angle at all times… you're actually quite normal."

"Thanks? I guess?" Oh, she knew what he was talking about. Bella had disliked him from the very start because he was always 'on' and couldn't switch off. It was a safety mechanism, but she was glad to see that he had potential to be 'normal'.

Her siblings had always hated her for her 'reasonable' behavior. They were all competitive with each other, who got the best scores, the best gigs… the bigger amount of bodies, and Bella wasn't like that at all. Sometimes it felt as if she didn't even belong in the family, but then again, there were plenty of families out there who didn't like each other.

Her brothers and sisters also didn't like it she wasn't allowed to go on ordinary jobs, and that she was the one who needed to fix things when things would go sideways. Bella was the wildcard, the fixer and the cleaner, but after years and years of fights, distrust and being bullied had made her escape to Uncle Garrett permanently. Not even her father knew where his brother lived, and Garrett liked to keep it that way.

Uncle Garrett allowed her to be who she wanted to be, helped her to refine her skills and Bella had been truly content, and was now wondering if maybe it had been a bad idea to give up the vineyard for Paris.

But she was an adult, mid-twenties, she had no one but Uncle Garrett and his people to talk to. Paris had been such a big lure, and now… Now she got shot. Paris sucked.

"And yet, you're great at what you do, and that means you found a healthy balance that I'm still searching for," Neal said as he took a bite off of his toast. "It's why I'm here and not still in the States being Neal Caffrey."

"How's it working out for you?"

"Too soon to tell. It's hard to switch off," he laughed. A genuine laugh. Not faked, not played. "I was a CI for the FBI for six years and even then I couldn't stop scheming, thinking about my next score or how I could do something behind Peter's back."

"Peter?"

"FBI Agent Peter Burke. Great man, perfect wife, and a great dog. Out of all the individuals I came in contact with… only he and my best friend knew who I truly was and what made me tick."

"You miss him, don't you? The both of them."

Neal nodded. "Yeah. But Neal Caffrey had to die, and I had to start over. Too much baggage, too many waves."

"Have you been checking in on your friends since you left?"

"Nah, they're okay without me."

"Are you okay without them?"

Neal barked out a laugh. "What are you? A psychiatrist?"

"No." Bella smiled at him as she took a sip of her coffee. "Like you, I had to leave people behind when I moved on from my old life, but unlike you, I didn't have people I care about."

"Old life?"

Bella nodded as she finished her breakfast. "How about we check in on your friends? I'm pretty solid with the computer, you see. I could take a break from running someone's mug through facial recognition and do something entertaining."

"How?"

Bella shrugged. "Anyway you think is fun to do."

"But the US is asleep."

"Hold that thought," she responded as she retrieved her laptop from her bedroom, cleared the table and set up her laptop. "Does one of them have an alarm system?"

"Peter has," Neal answered, a bit suspicious of her question. "Why?"

"Alarm systems connect to the alarm company through the internet, I've hacked alarm systems before, it's fun," she pointed to her now empty cup of coffee. "If you pour me another, I'll have you in contact with your Peter in 30 minutes." Bella said as she started to open a few programs. "He'll likely be grumpy though, nobody likes to wake up in the middle of the night, but it's fun."  
Bella asked for Peter's address, the name of his security company and after some digging around the security firm's database, she found Peter's alarm system. "Oh, it will be loud, and I've routed the company's emergency phone number he'll likely call to this program, it's safe and secure, nobody can trace us, and you can get to talk to Peter, even invite him for a video chat, but he'd have to install a piece of software on his PC that he might not be thrilled with. So audio only, okay?"

"Okay?"

She pointed at her screen. "I'm inside the alarm system now, what music do you want to wake Peter with? Anything is possible, all I need to look for is the melody online, load it up…"

"Baby Shark."

Bella eyed him, brows raised. "I ask you for anything and you come up with Baby Shark?"

"Oh, come on!" Neal whined. "Isn't that song stuck in everyone's heads these days? It'll be fun. He and his wife will wake up annoyed anyway, so why not make it super annoying?"

Laughing, Bella shrugged and went looking for the music and installed it on the server. It was always fun to fuck with an FBI agent. "Here we go, you ready to talk to your buddy?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Thank you." His gratitude was truly sincere, Bella could tell.

With one push of the button, the alarm in Peter's house went off. She swapped between the two programs and the response time surprised her. Peter was almost immediately on the phone to them. She picked up the call and disengaged the alarm.

"_This is Peter Burke, 4232 DeKalb Avenue, my alarm just went off for no reason."_

"Are you sure there's no intruder in your home, sir?" Bella replied. "Nothing out of the ordinary?"

It was quiet for a moment before Peter realized that his alarm wasn't the right tone. _"Who is this?"_

"Hey Peter," Neal replied, a relieved smile on his face as he heard his friend's voice, and Bella left him and Peter alone for a bit while she took her coffee elsewhere. "Hey, where are you going?" Neal grabbed her wrist. "Don't go away, it's fine."

"_Neal?"_ Peter sounded dazed.

"Oh, come on, Peter, we all know that you have already figured it out that I'm still here. Don't worry, the line is safe and secure." Neal watched as Bella sat down again. "How are you? How's Elizabeth? Moz?"

"_Neal? Is that Neal on the phone?"_

"_Yes, hon, he's the one who set off the alarm too."_

"Well, technically, it wasn't me. Just a friend giving me the opportunity to talk to you."

"_Neal."_ Peter's voice sounded stern. _"Do you have any idea how many laws you're breaking right now?"_

"Yes."

"_And isn't the purpose of you faking your death to start anew?"_

"Yes," he nodded. "How's the baby?"

"_Neal is fine."_

"No, I'm asking about the baby. I know I'm fine."

"_We named the baby after you, Neal. That was before I found out you were still alive."_

Neal's face lit up. "You didn't! Oh, wow, Peter! What an honor! See, I knew you couldn't live without me!"

"_Yeah, well, your stunt has woken him up too," _Peter said grumpily. _"Are you in trouble?"_

"No, why would I be? I missed hearing your voice!"

"_Because you're smart enough to make clean breaks, that's why, Neal. I don't care if your friend gave you a chance to seek contact safely, but this is the first we hear from you in a long time, so something must be up."_

"Well, actually…"

"Don't," Bella said as she peered at Neal, "Don't you dare! We can figure this out together and if not… No. Don't."

"You got shot."

"I don't want to have the FBI involved in this! I'm off their radar and I'm happy to stay that way!" She had her hand on the disconnect button. "Change subject with your friend or I will sever the connection right now."

Neal narrowed his eyes on her. "So you will really keep hacking the FBI to use their facial recog-"

"Neal!"

"_I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."_ Peter's voice sounded._"But if you need help…"_

"No cops, Peter."

"And no FBI involvement," Bella scowled as she took another sip of her coffee. "You have one more chance. Change subject."

"_Mozzie and June are great. Mozzie is lonely, so he hangs out with El a lot and baby Neal. Get this, we even allow Mozzie to babysit these days, and he loves hanging out with Teddy too."_

"Wow, Peter."

"_I know, but I felt bad for the guy, and El adores him, so does Diana. So, how have you been, Neal?"_

"Oh, you know, keeping busy."

"_That Picasso, was that you?"_

"Which one?" Neal grinned as he looked at Bella, who rolled her eyes at the question. "Maybe."

"_Neal."_

"What? I got bored!"

"_And now your new friend got shot."_

"Yes."

"_And you have no idea who did it, seeing as you're breaking laws to use facial recognition software."_

"Exactly."

"All right, that's enough Neal. Say goodbye to your friend, this conversation is over," Bella said as she got up with her hand above the disconnect button.

"Bye Peter, give my love to everyone else. Stay in touch!" He laughed as Bella disconnected the call and pushed him with her injured arm, causing her to yelp in pain. "Happy?"

"Absolutely not!" she shot at him. "This is the last time I'll do something out of the kindness of my heart for you," she added as she picked up her laptop and got off the chair.

"What are you going to do?"

"Use a different database as you told a Fed I was using his database." She narrowed her eyes on him as she suddenly realized something. "Unless telling him was your plan all along, seeing as some systems are caching the searches, so he knows what to look for."

"It's a cyber intrusion, and they keep logs of every intrusion. I figured he could have someone look for it, connect it to something to his current case and give us the information we need."

"How?"

"Peter is great at finding me."

"No." She shook her head as she took a few steps back, creating some distance between herself and Neal. "I can't believe you did that."

"I can't believe you didn't think of this scenario."

"Get out," she pointed at the door. "Get the fuck out of my house."

"Why? Because I'm trying to help you? I can trust Peter with this, he won't do anything to jeopardize our location or-"

"We're involving the FBI now. I wanted to stay clear of having the FBI involved because they aren't aware of me. If I'm in the system, people can find me. I was sure that we did things safely just now, but this place is now burned, because you choose to involve your friend. Get the fuck out," she spat as she walked to her bedroom to pack. Knowing that Neal followed her, she ignored him for a bit, trying to calm herself down, but it didn't work.

"You're afraid," he eventually said as he leaned against the doorpost, watching her pack her bag with care but fast enough to be out the door in minutes. "And it's not because of me involving the FBI, is it? That was just the last drop. Who are you hiding from?"

"I'm not hiding," she countered as she closed her suitcase and took the laptop and tablet with her too. Booting up the PC, she put in the command to erase everything and overheat. "It was a stupid plan to travel to Paris. I should have stayed where I was before." She took out her phone, removed the battery, and destroyed the sim card with a pair of scissors that were in her desk drawers.

"Bella, you're running on zero sleep and you look like you're about to burst into tears, how about you calm down, take a nap and then you can tell me more."

"Yeah, no," she said as she pushed by him with her bags. "Best if you stay out of this," she replied as she dropped her bags, got down on the floor and lifted one floorboard that held her go-bag. "You can tell Liam thank you when he returns. I won't be here."

She nearly had a heart attack when the front door opened, revealing her Uncle Garrett. She dropped everything she had and ran into his arms like a small child would do, her fear finally taking over after everything that had happened in the past 12 hours, because now she was safe.

"It's okay, I'm here now," Garrett said calmly as he lifted her up to move them out of the doorway so that Liam could come through. "Let it all out. We're not running today."


	5. Chapter 5

Garrett wasn't too happy with Neal Caffrey being inside his home, but as Liam had explained it to him, he was there when Bella got shot. If it were under any other circumstances, he would have hoped that the bullet had been for Neal, and not for Bella, but there had been something he'd been neglecting to tell his niece. And, of course, Liam knew him. Vouched for him.

Garrett knew what was going on, and he would tell Bella all about it, as soon as she had calmed down and had some sleep, he would tell her. But while she was asleep, he would have a chat with Neal Caffrey. Who was supposed to be dead.

"How did you meet my girl?" Garrett asked as he took a sip of his bourbon, looking at the man sitting on the couch, a confident smile on his face.

"Picasso. As it turns out, we both were pulling a con on the museum for different reasons."

Garrett nodded. "Can't say I'm too happy about you and Bella running into each other."

"Can't say I'm too happy about getting almost shot yesterday."

"You didn't. It was meant for Bella."

"You know who did it," Neal said knowingly, a hint of fascination in his voice. "And you want to go after them."

Garrett scrunched his nose. "Not particularly. There's nothing we can do apart from going into hiding, these guys can't be stopped without force."

"What aren't you telling me?"

He took another sip of his bourbon and sighed as he looked over his shoulder to the closed bedroom doors before looking back at Neal fucking Caffrey. "I just told you that Bella was the intended target, you don't have to stay."

"Well, I might not know her as well as I'd like, but I want to help. It keeps me off the streets and aren't us thieves supposed to help each other?"

"And usually be in each other's way."

"Yeah, like that Picasso thing. But Bella and I agreed quickly after she found me."

"Mr. Caffrey, you're not known for having honor amongst thieves. Because there usually is none. However, I've been teaching my girl that whatever you decide to, use your talents is to be kind and with a purpose. I don't want her to get hurt."

"She got shot, and that wasn't my fault. I made sure she got patched up and didn't end up in the hospital. If I wanted her to get caught or get into the system, I would have done just that," Neal countered, slightly offended. "But I didn't. That would be a waste because she's talented and there aren't many con artists like her who steal with a purpose."

"Well, she would keep some money if she stole money, but that's an honest fee."

"I would keep it all to myself. I'm selfish like that," Neal agreed. "However, I am trying to turn over a new leaf. That's why Neal Caffrey is dead, and maybe, if she's willing, Bella can teach me her ways. It's not like all the time working with an FBI agent hasn't changed me." Neal shrugged then as he relaxed onto the couch, one leg over the other, arm on the back of the couch. "I mean, even if it weren't for her being shot, I would still have sought her out, which I did prior to the shooting."

"She's not like you."

"I know. She seems to be able to do things that I can't. Like with that Picasso Museum. I was waiting for a job opening. I wasn't in a hurry to pull a con, but suddenly people went on holidays or got fired. Then, at the night of the heist, I was careful not to trip any alarms, avoid the cameras and she just waltzes in, alarm and cameras shut off. Hackers rarely do the physical cons."

Garrett nodded, taking another sip of his bourbon, wondering how much he would tell him. "So you're planning on seeing this through, and once it's all done, you won't tell anyone about her?"

"Of course not," Neal huffed. "That's the one thing about being free. I don't have to share stuff anymore with the FBI."

"Good, because you might reconsider staying once I've told you something about Bella."

"You make it sound like her family is part of the mafia or something," Neal joked, but when he saw the grim look on Garrett's face, he was surprised. "Bella's part of the mafia?"

Garrett remained quiet before he moved to a chair opposite of Neal. "Have you ever heard of the Cullens?"

Neal let out a breath. "Who hasn't? They're ruthless. Five siblings working together and doing a lot of damage, even killing, but no one has ever been able to pin stuff on them because they don't leave a trace. The FBI has been after them for years, and they still can't figure out how they do what they do."

"Theories?"

"Other than them having some very good friends who are willing to help them even when they screw up?"

"Yes."

"None."

"And what if I tell you they have indeed someone who's good at cleaning up, good at running a con on their own and making sure that nobody gets caught because they can get into most of the systems?"

Neal was surprised as he added up everything that Garrett had said and what he had seen so far. "How did Bella get involved with them?"

"There aren't five siblings, there are six. She's the last one."

"Can't be," Neal replied after giving it some thought. Bella being one of the Cullens was foreign to him. She wasn't anything like them, at all. "I remember one of my friend's stories about them, he has encountered them several times and warned me about them. After the birth of her youngest, a boy, the mother had to get a hysterectomy. If Bella is a Cullen, she's half or adopted. From what I understand is that the Cullens are blonde."

Garret leaned forward in a menacing way, his voice lower. "Are you saying that my niece isn't my niece by blood, Caffrey?"

"You're a Cullen?"

Garrett shrugged as he relaxed in his chair again. "If I would be, I would know that the hysterectomy story is true, but I don't. No, I ran across the Cullens at some point and I was stupid enough to feel sorry for their youngest kid. She seemed to be a mis-match with her siblings, so I started to invite her over for the summer after she turned 18. Under the guise of 'euro tripping' she came to visit me without her family knowing. She never had the balls to fully break away from them until almost two years ago. I think something may have happened, but she's not talking about that."

"But nobody knows she's a Cullen?"

"No, they wouldn't allow her to do anything like them, get on the radar of agencies, she moved in the shadows."

"That explains why she was saying she was a nobody yesterday," Neal said surprised. "Because she is."

"She's not, she's Bella. And if I'm right, she's in a lot of trouble." He finished his drink and rose to his feet. "But I'll tell her first when she wakes up again. If you tell anyone about her, I will make you permanently deceased, got that?"

"Yes, sir." What the hell had he gotten himself into?

~o.O.o~

By the time Bella was back in the land of the living it was late in the evening. After a quick shower and getting dressed, she walked to the reception area where, much to her surprise, people were still hanging around.

Liam was near the alcohol table, lost in his own thoughts but she knew better, he was in sentry mode even though the apartment was safe.

Garrett looked smug with himself as he was scrolling on his phone and the look on Neal's face told her that Garrett had told him.

Traitor.

She headed to the kitchen and turned on the oven before getting stuff out to get to bake. Bella was still pissed off at Neal, although she basically set herself up for him to inform the FBI agent, but it still pissed her off. However, if he was still here after Garrett telling him about her, then that was a good thing, too. Liam seemed to trust him, and Garrett had eased up as well.

But even so, she needed to get her mind in order. "Cookies, Cake or Pie?" she called out. "Can't make muffins as I don't have a muffin tin!"

"What kind of pie?" Garrett asked as he walked into the kitchen with an empty glass. "Liam did groceries, but he got nothing for pies."

Bella ducked into one of the cupboards and retrieved her basket. "I don't have fresh fruit, though, but that's okay. Cherry or peach," she said after grabbing the cans.

"Cherry," Garrett replied as he went into the fridge to get himself something to drink. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," Bella replied as she started to work on her pie. "Not too happy you told someone about me, though."

"We could use him."

"I don't want to use people, Garrett. You taught me better than that. Did you even ask him if he wants to stick around and help us or did you give him the run or stay speech?"

"So you know who took a shot at you."

"I do!" Bella blurted out. "The FBI servers weren't sluggish, I just kept running the face repeatedly to see if the outcome was any different because the truth is a bitch and not something we can forever run from. They will keep coming. And I really don't understand why," she said as she hit the counter-top with her rolling pin. "But I will find out."

"How? Call Daddy dearest who likely signed off on this?"

"I would never, ever, rat out my family, no matter how much I think they're idiots or how much they have hurt me. This is stupid! I'm not hurting anyone!"

"And what if Carlisle says something you don't like to hear, huh?" Garrett leaned against the countertop as he watched Bella throw things in a bowl. "You left, didn't keep in touch with them…"

"I'm my own person and I am happier without being around my siblings all the time. That should be enough."

"Maybe," he let out a sigh. "I just think you'll make matters worse by calling him. He'll tell you that was a warning shot and if you don't want to be dead, you return to the family."

"He wouldn't."

"He might," Garrett pointed out. "Look what happened to Peter and Charlotte, Jasper's best friends. One step out of line and Jasper killed them both."

"But they weren't family."

"Close enough, from the stories you've told me."

Bella was quiet as she kept assembling her pie, thinking things over. After putting it into the oven she looked at Garrett again. "I'll come back to the vineyard."

Garrett let put a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I'm sorry, we can't. They found the vineyard last week and burned it all to the ground. Some of our friends got killed along the way, I could barely escape myself," he replied, pain washed over his face. "We can't stay here, either. They know you're in Paris."

"Who did they kill?"

"Almost everyone. Others were badly wounded, and some weren't around. They came with an army, really. Wasn't anything we could do. I killed three of them before I escaped."

She looked at her uncle and nodded. He hated to kill people; he hated guns, but he had to do what he had to do. Too bad he couldn't save the vineyard. "The Volturi are bloodhounds. They won't stop. That's what makes them so good, and so thorough. I'm not sure we can outrun them. They will keep coming."

"Yeah," Garrett sighed. "And you're not going back, either. You'll only make it easier for them to kill you. If they want you dead this bad by having the Volturi come after you, they will not hesitate to kill you as soon as you walk in the door of your family home."

"Then what the fuck do we do?"

"Go to the authorities?"

She looked at him with a blank look on her face. "I'm desperate, but not that desperate. Are you willing to give up all the freedom that you have?"

"For your safety? Yes."

"Well, I'm not. And we both did some shit that could land us in prison because the statute of limitations hasn't passed yet on certain things that we did," Bella replied after setting the timer for her pie. "I have an idea though," she added. "I could just hack whatever law enforcement agency we want after them - or all - and leave them a tip with a file attached to who they will go after. With them being busy with the agencies, we can disappear again."

"I don't know."

"Come on, I can do a lot of damage with just a laptop. I will rally the troops, it's time for 5h1tF4c3 to collect the debts she owes from everyone," Bella grinned as she quickly went to retrieve her laptop and settled in the kitchen while her pie was cooking. "Time to take this global."

Bella went to her online backup that had her dig deeper into the real backup where she had built files against the Volturi for years, all filled with evidence and backing up her claims. Anything that she couldn't prove wasn't in there. She had files on her rival hackers too, but she kept it safe for a rainy day.

"I'm going to upload this to the dark web and telling everyone to spread it around. With others looking for the Volturi and hopefully the authorities too, the Volturi leave us alone and they'll be too busy covering their ass." Bella said as she pointed at her laptop before getting the pie out of the oven to cool. "This requires no hacking of any kind this is everything I've collected over the years without ties to us."

"Or the Cullens?"

She nodded. "Only if you look deep enough, which I doubt they will," she replied. "Look through it and see if it's enough."

"Oh, I trust it's enough, you're always thorough, no matter what you do," Garrett poured himself another drink before he rejoined Neal and Liam back in the reception area. "She's fine. We'll be having cherry pie for dessert later, and I'm not sure what she will cook for us but it will be delicious."

"She's fine?" Liam questioned, his brow raised as he took a sip of his beer. "She got shot at."

"And she's doing something about it in her own way. You know as much as we do how the Volturi operate. We can't go to the authorities, so she's taken matters into her own hands. She'll be chatting with some of her friends today while she cooks."

"Shitface?"

"Yep." Garrett nodded.

"Oh, don't want to run into her!"

"That's her handle?" Neal piped up. "Sounds… unlike her."

"Shitface does a lot of things," Garrett replied. "Shitface is for the hit-and-run attacks, she has another nick for shit that's more delicate and long lasting. In the early days of pencoin, Shitface stole them, hoarded them until they were worth something and cashed them out, slowly. Donating most of it to charities. That was before they put extra security on the coins, of course. She was one of the hackers who also gave the people in charge an idea on how to fix the security flaws."

"She designed and programmed her own tools, her own toolkit on the tablet to access security systems and what not," Liam added. "She's unwilling to share that, but it works like a charm, every single time."

"You don't have to impress me. I'm already impressed by her," Neal replied as he took a sip of his drink. "I'm going to see if I can help her with something," he got to his feet and headed to the kitchen, finding a maniacal laughing Bella monitoring her laptop while she was cooking. "Everything all right?"

"Everything is all right now," she smiled at him. "We're all working together to make sure the Volturi are being dealt with. Safer for all of us. Breathing space. I just unleashed virtual hell."

Neal sat at the table and just watched her for a moment. She looked so happy and unburdened at the moment, completely ignoring the fact that they had shot her only the day before. She had gone through a lot to bounce back like this. Or, maybe she was putting up a brave face, like he used to do, and it would bite her in the ass later.

Feeling his phone vibrate, he took it out of his pocket and smiled upon seeing the name. "Hey, Moz."

"_Hey Neal."_

"Uh, hi, Peter."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, Moz."

"_Hey Neal."_

"Uh, hi, Peter."

It made sense that Neal's friend had his phone number, and that Peter had found Neal's friend; however, this was still the FBI calling. "Hang up," Bella said as she minimized her browser and software on her laptop and booted up the dialling programme. "Hang up, Neal, we'll call them back the safe way."

"Really?"

"My house, my rules. Hang up," she said as she took the phone from his hands and disconnected the call before dialing the number on her laptop. "I don't want them to trace you."

"You're more paranoid than my friend Mozzie."

She shrugged as she released the microphone and went back to her cooking. Neal sighed. "Sorry about that, my friend is really careful."

"_Any reason Mozzie has your phone number when you should be dead?"_

Neal let out a snort. "Moz came to visit me last month. He knows where I am and, I'm sorry, Peter, but you're still FBI and I am not sure how big the target on my back is."

"_Non-existent, you're dead."_

"But what if I'd turn up alive?"

"_You might be in big trouble."_

"Not really," Bella muttered as she stirred the sauce.

Knowing that Bella really didn't like phone calls, especially one from the FBI, Neal cut to the chase before she'd disconnect them again. "Why are you calling, Peter?"

"_Your friend has been lying to you, she knows who the man who shot at her. We did a full check up on the system and she simply kept running his face. It's... "_

"Felix Volturi," Bella piped up. "Yeah, I know. We're dealing with it right now."

"_How?"_

"None of your concern, Agent Burke, but it will be handled with no violence on our part."

"_Ever heard of going to the authorities?"_

"No thanks," Bella replied as she switched on the oven to preheat and retrieved chicken from the fridge. She remained alert while Neal and Peter talked, occasionally nudging Neal away from her laptop to see what was going on in the IRC chat on the dark web after her information bomb dropped and was pleased to see that it was spreading well.

It didn't mean that the immediate threat was going away, but at least it would put pressure on the Volturi to hide or fight back and hopefully withdraw their men from Paris.

In the background of Neal's conversation with Peter she could hear Neal's friend ask if 'the suit' was done and 'if he could have his phone back'. The man sounded quite impatient before eventually giving up.

The conversation Neal was having with the agent was something like a father/son conversation, it made her feel uncomfortable, especially as Neal was divulging way too much personal information about himself. What he'd been up to, how Paris was, and whatnot. Peter, in return, did the same and spoke about his family and co-workers.

To Bella, it sounded as if Neal had had everything before he faked his own death. Why would anyone sacrifice a good life? Sure, he may have been the FBI's bitch, but that was his own fault. It seemed like he had many people who loved him. And to go over a year without talking to them, the sheer joy on his face was beautiful.

She'd never felt jealousy much; she'd always been mostly on her own and after leaving her family, her uncle Garrett had been all that she had, and Liam. Her friends were in her computer, but even then, only when they needed her, so she couldn't really call them friends, could she? Jealousy was a bitch.

Bella pushed the food in the oven and leaned against the kitchen counter to watch Neal. He looked like a small child happy to be talking to his best friend again, but she wanted her laptop back. It was a good thing that Neal wasn't touching her laptop though, otherwise she'd have to break his fingers. No one touched her kit but her.

"Can I have my laptop back?" Bella asked eventually after becoming curious why she was getting so many IRC private messages. "You could just go back to New York, you know," she smiled at Neal. "I'm sure no one will give a shit and your FBI friend will protect you."

"But Neal Caffrey died, and as talented as my friends are, I can't just go back and assume someone else's identity," Neal replied, a knowing smile on his face. "Besides, Peter knows this was the only option after the biggest con we've pulled."

Suspecting Neal would not stop talking to Peter soon, she kept the connection going while she checked her messages. Pings were coming in from people all over the world saying that they sent the package to authorities in their country, others had already found bank accounts connected to the Volturi, but there was one message that stood out to her.

_VitaPedrillo: I__'m looking for a 5'11 brunette with blue eyes and a dazzling smile. Is he with you?_

_5h1tF4c3: Who is this?_

_VitaPedrillo: Currently on the phone to a Suit?_

_5h1tF4c3: Your puppy is about to be neutered._

"I see that," Neal said playfully, leaning into her to look at the screen.

"What did I tell you about personal space?"

"I just want to know what you're doing, that's all."

"_Suit, Neal is in safe hands,"_ another voice sounded in the background from the call._"I'm completely and utterly in awe of his new friend, who's a legend, slightly troublesome but a legend."_

"I hope not," Bella muttered as she looked at Neal. "Can you end the call now? Dinner is almost ready and I want my laptop back, there are more important things to do than to chat with an old friend. Or you know, continue this call in a different district on your own phone."

~o.O.o~

With the information bomb about the Volturi still spreading around on the dark web and to law enforcement agencies in countries all over, she needed to go to step two; gathering a small fortune so she and Garrett could continue their life somewhere else.

She would continue down her list of the bad and wealthy, but this time route the money so often that it would become untraceable and then into her own account with pencoin.

First, she needed to adapt her worm to spread as much as possible, targeting specific bank accounts that she had collected over the years with various banks. Her worm was good, but not for the size she had in mind for it to do. Ignoring everyone else, she poured herself a glass of wine. It would have been better if she hadn't killed the computer, but her laptop would have to make do. Settling into one of the big comfy chairs, she started to work.

"I've been looking at the artwork, for fun," Neal said as he sat down in the other chair, crossing his legs and looked at her. "There are some great forgeries between the real deal. Yours?"

"Yup," she said, not looking up from her laptop. "The easel and paints are in the room at the back if you're bored."

"I'm not bored, I merely wanted a change of scenery."

"The balcony is nice at this time of night."

"I wanted to thank you for the two conversations I had with Peter, I haven't spoken to him in a really long time."

"That's okay," Bella replied as she took a sip of her wine, not looking up from her laptop. "Seeing as we've revised our plan because of the Volturi, you don't have to be here. You can just live your life. Rob the Louvre."

He barked out a laugh. "Already done! I was the one who worked for them to upgrade their security after I robbed them. Let me tell ya, they paid me really well to make it con-man proof!" He grinned, shaking his head. "And the worst part? I actually liked doing that for the Louvre. The Picasso was my try to see if I still liked stealing things for me, because they're pretty."

It wasn't unheard of that grifters would start working in security or even insurance after their release, their inside knowledge was well-valued. A tool on its own. "Yeah, I never even dreamed of touching the Louvre upon visiting, well done."

"The thing is, Paris had felt a bit stale until you came along. More fun to be had when you have other people you can have fun with," Neal took a sip of his own drink. "Don't you ever relax?"

She looked up from her laptop then, her eyes meeting his. "I am relaxing. I'm upgrading one of my old codes at the moment to do what I want when I send it into the world. This is fun."

"What will it do?"

She smiled and shrugged before looking back on her screen. "What would you do if you needed to run?"

"Get as much capital as I can."

She nodded. "Yep."

"You're going to infiltrate banks?"

"Nah," she kept scrolling through her code and occasionally added something. "I have a list of questionable rich people and I will make it appear that the money went to a charity. I'm not taking all, just a small percentage so they won't alert the authorities. It's very easy, no fuss, and fun to do, and also very relaxing."

"What about painting or reading a book or television?"

"Yeah, sure, but I don't need any of those right now. Safety first."

"I think you made sure of your safety," Neal said with half a shrug. "You're inside a very secure building, there's more security in here. You have Liam in the room next to the door, there's Garrett… You can take a breather and do something else after all you did today."

"But what if I don't want to?"

"Well," he said as he got to his feet. "Then I'll just have to watch Dirty Dancing by myself."

Bella narrowed her eyes on him. "Garrett put you up to this."

"No."

"Yes, he did. He knows I can't resist that movie," she said as she closed her laptop. "And you're stupid for saying yes to this," Bella pointed out. "Unless you love a classic romantic movie with a lot of awesome dancing in it."

Neal's eyes lit up and a wide smile appeared on his face, giving Bella the feeling as if he could melt everything away, that it was all going to be alright. "Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I don't love me some Swayze!" He reached out his hand for her to take and pulled her up. "Come on, let's have some fun."

By the time the final dance came on in the movie, Bella was sufficiently drunk, and she had discovered that Neal had a great singing voice as they both sang along to all the songs in the movie, gradually getting worse as the alcohol kept flowing. Even while sober she always cried happy tears with this part of the movie and now would be even worse. She felt like shit. Not happy, but like shit, and she would not break down in front of their guest.

Fucking Garrett.

"Are you okay?" Neal asked as he paused the movie. "This is the best part!"

"I fucking hate this movie," she sniffled as she got to her feet, ready to bolt to her room.

"You said you loved this movie."

"I do!" Bella blurted before pointing at the paused TV screen. "But I hate it! It gives you these warm and fuzzy feelings and shit! But I'm drunk and feeling like shit so it'll make me feel even worse!"

Neal laughed as he reached out to grab her hand to stop her from running. "And? So? What's your problem?"

"Because I'm this close to not to cry happy tears," she said as her eyes welled up. "Because there's no use of being happy, or to celebrate when your own fucking family wants you dead. A-and the realization that if I die, I'd die alone. Garrett loves me, he's my uncle. Liam likes me because he's loyal to Garrett… but there's nobody else. I wouldn't even be fucking missed, and that's such a strange realization."

"But what about your hacker buddies? I mean, how Garrett and Liam spoke about your capabilities and my friend's reaction to realizing who you were…"

"Neal. Nobody knows who I am. That means I've done my job well. The hacker community is all about anonymity. Whenever I had to fix the mess of my siblings, I did that from the shadows. Nobody will miss me."

"That means you've done your job well."

"You don't get it!" she shot at him as the tears rolled down her cheek. "First, I don't want to fucking die, I'm far too young and haven't lived properly. Second, no one will miss me. You, for example, will be missed by your Suit friend and your Moz, and likely a lot more people when you die for real and you will be spoken about because of the stuff you did. You made a name for yourself, you have friends, people who care for you. I don't." She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "And yes, it sounds perfect not to have anyone with our line of work, with what I do, and you can't really have it both ways, but I haven't even begun living my life because of my family and now they want me dead!"

"Hey, I get it," Neal said as he pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. "You feel robbed, but what does this have to do with the movie?"

"Because it's a perfect fucking ending that, I'll never get as long as my family still walks around!" She couldn't help but feel safe in his arms. "Disrupting the Volturi works, sure, but my siblings aren't shy of killing people themselves, and they're good at what they do. They'll find me."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not! I-I'm not supposed to break down like this; it's not what they taught me. _Do not let your emotions control you, if you want to be your best, you will not let your emotions control you_. I'm letting them win right now, and that's not good."

"But you are your own person, Bella."

Having his arms around her felt great. "I wasn't when I was still with my family. Things were a lot easier and sure, they didn't like me and things like that but I wasn't alone."

"So… you'd rather be a mindless drone?"

"No… but in this case… yes."

"I'm sorry they've ruined you, Bella," he said as he rubbed her back gently. "But it's okay to be scared, it's your life that's on the line here. It's okay to feel, to be angry, to cry, it's what makes us feel alive and present. You could tell Peter about all the crimes you're aware of that your family did and-"

"Neal, I won't talk to a Suit and I will not rat out my family even though they're trying to kill me."

Neal laughed. "You're infuriatingly stubborn, you know that?" He then grabbed the remote from his pocket, put the volume up and pressed play to continue playing the most epic dance scene of the movie.

"You are so evil!" Bella whined as she tried to reach for the remote. "Neal! I don't want to hear this song! Stop it!" She was clawing at his shirt trying to pull him down and get the remote he kept in the air. She was trying hard not to fall over or trip over her own feet as the alcohol was definitely still present in her system.

Neal paused the movie again. "So even to save your own skin, you're not ratting out on your family?"

"Would you?"

"Yes. I did, too, but my dad is a corrupt cop and he made me believe otherwise. He killed a senator and framed Peter. So yeah, I falsified my dad's testimony and Peter went free. No one knows where my dad is now. Don't want to know, don't care."

She looked at him as she was holding herself up against the couch. "Wait… so… you falsified your dad's testimony for Peter to get out of jail?"

"Yes? Peter didn't do it."

"He's a Suit!"

"Yeah well, I'd rather have Peter out of jail because it's not a nice experience, and he can do a lot of good as an FBI Agent. My dad was corrupt to begin with and for a while I believed he wasn't, that he was a hero," Neal replied. "I hate Suits, I do. But Peter is the one Suit who was smart enough to catch me and he was nice enough to help me get a deal even if it meant I was his responsibility for a few years. He's a great friend, a sort of like a big brother to me, and most importantly; he's fair."

"I've never been in contact with law enforcement and I like to keep it that way."

"Peter can help, Bella. He'll likely give you immunity for-"

"Look, you had a shitty dad, I have a shitty family. Doesn't mean we're the same," she said as she pushed herself away from the couch and headed to the door. "Thanks for the movie and drinks, I'm going to bed."

"Bella, wait," Neal gently grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away from him. "You're not alone," he said as he lifted her chin to look in those beautiful, but sad, eyes of hers. "If you don't want to get your revenge on your family by going to the authorities, then we'll find another way. You and I."

It surprised her to hear that. "You have the Suit."

"We're not going to involve the Suit, but I would like to involve Mozzie. With your permission, of course. I think with the three of us, we can come up with a plan with a lot of damage and you don't even have to involve the authorities," he smiled at her as he dried her tears with his sleeve. "And your family will know that it was you in the end."

"You really want to do this with me?" She asked in a little voice.

"Yeah, although I think we have to work out of Canada because in the US Neal Caffrey is dead and all."

"Legally it's not a problem, to be honest. Loads of people fake their deaths all the time. However, I could try to erase every digital trail of Neal Caffrey, and get you a new identity, like… the good stuff, that goes deep with layers and trails and stuff like that."

"You can do that?" Neal asked, surprised.

Bella nodded. "It'll take a few days and I might have to compartmentalize stuff, but yeah, I can do that. With some help. We can turn Neal Flanigan into a real boy."

"I hate the name Flanigan."

"Then pick something else," Bella smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."


	7. Chapter 7

_5h1tF4c3: Anybody seen Mingus?_

While she perfected her bot to get her more capital, she and Neal also worked on a new identity for him with a complete background and stories. And it was a fun thing to do. And she could do it herself, mostly, however, Mingus was brilliant at making sure an ID would pass the scrutiny of any government.

Mingus helped her with her Izzy Sheppard cover. The name she adopted after leaving the Cullens. Her first new ID after leaving the Cullens, and one that they didn't know of so couldn't trace. It was the same with Mia Robbins, but that one was only shallow. Izzy Sheppard had a good background. Solid. Even when digging. And Neal needed to have the same one.

She could easily get people to help her delete Neal Caffrey from law enforcement systems, apart from the hard copies, but nothing that could be replicated on servers. But a solid ID like that? No. Only government agencies like the Marshalls would be good at this.

"Who's Mingus?" Neal asked as he sat down across from her at the table with a sketch pad.

"A friend," Bella replied. "I mean… if you can call other hackers your friend. Never met him in person but we talked a lot. Less now that I'm away from my family but still."

"He's connected to them?"

"Oh, no. It's like he knows I'm doing well now." She smiled when a private message popped up. "Ah, there he is."

_Mingus: Hey Shitface, long time no talk. And the first time we talk is after you single handedly exposed a crime family. Good job lol._

_5h1tF4c3: LMAO. They shouldn__'t have shot me._

_Mingus: WTF! Are you okay?_

_5h1tF4c3: Pissed off and determined._

_Mingus: Know who__'s behind it?_

_5h1tF4c3: Yeah. Anyway, enough about that. I want to wrap them all up in a nice package so I__'m going to travel back to the US with a new friend of mine. _

_Mingus: __… Okay? You sure? Can't you just let your information dump do that for you?_

_5h1tF4c3: No, because that doesn__'t account for those who are after the hit and I know who did it._

_Mingus: Seriously?_

_5h1tF4c3: Yeah. With help from my new friend, I__'ll be going after them myself. Speaking of which, he faked his own death and we're creating a new ID for him, and he and I got far, I even established him somewhat in the US, but I could really use your help to sell it._

_Mingus: __… You know I don't do this for strangers._

_5h1tF4c3: Okay. Was worth a shot._

_Mingus: You__'re good at forging passports. I've seen your work remember? _

_5h1tF4c3: Yes, but__…_

_Mingus: No one needs an ID like the one you and I created for you. Trust me on this. Your friend must have been in a lot of trouble to fake his own death. _

_5h1tF4c3: Maybe a little too big for his shoes. He has a good heart._

_Mingus: Okay, but I__'m still not helping you with this. But I am interested in helping you set up whoever wants you dead._

_5h1tF4c3: I__'ll be in touch. Thanks._

Bella sighed and shrugged. "The normal way it is, he didn't want to help establish it properly."

"That's okay, would have been nice, but I've never had one like that before and they all held up," Neal replied, still sketching. "Don't be unsure of yourself or me, it doesn't have to be perfect." He put down his pad and smiled at her. "And here you said you didn't have any friends."

"Mingus isn't a friend. I have never seen him or met him in real life. I'm not even sure if I trust him but his stuff is always sound, and we helped each other a few times when we got stuck on a code. We contact each other for our mutual skills when needed." She grabbed herself something to drink and poured Neal some water. "Are you ready to fully vanish?"

"What?"

"Erase Neal Caffrey for good? It's the only way to have you travel back into the US the normal way, no facial recognition, etc," she said as she set the glass down in front of him before sitting back down behind her laptop. Neal was very careful not to show her what he was drawing. "Neal Caffrey will be a ghost. Completely. Poof."

"Are you a ghost?"

"No, I had Mingus to help me out, but I don't want to risk you getting detained because there's a double entry with your face on it. Erasing your information from all the government systems is the only way to go." She took a sip of her drink as she looked at him. "You already made the first move by faking your death. You're no longer Neal Caffrey, you're Neal Flanigan. And you're not even Irish."

Neal groaned. "I had to make something quickly, saw the name on a sign."

Bella let out a snort. "I'm usually against reusing names, but Neal Carter has a good ring to it."

Neal nodded. "But I like the name I chose for myself, it's my mother's maiden name."

"What's your dad's last name?"

He sucked in a breath and shook his head. "Carter is fine. What's your new name then?"

"Izzy Sheppard," Bella said as she set up the nuclear option on her laptop. "Close enough to Isabella and I grabbed the name from a TV show that was on when Mingus and I set it up," she replied before realizing something. "Come to think of it, the name Carter was in that show too, come up with something else if you're not fully behind it."

"What TV show?" Neal laughed.

"Stargate Atlantis," Bella muttered. "Great show. Gone too soon in favor of a new franchise show that terribly sucked."

"Nerd."

"Yeah well, this nerd will give you a chance of going back to the US without getting your ass arrested so…" She shrugged as she turned her laptop around. "Hit the enter button if you're ready to kill every last bit of you."

~o.O.o~

A few days later, Uncle Garrett and Liam went out to get groceries. Bella had made a list for them while she continued to work on her projects. Neal had set in motion to have his digital trail and his presence deleted on all the law enforcement servers and he was getting antsy too, he wanted to get out, and Bella had never told him he needed to stay. She wasn't sure if she was safe from the Volturi and didn't want to risk getting shot again by going outside herself.

She told him to bring her back a coffee while she stayed in the apartment working on her laptop. She had almost fine tuned her money maker. Almost. It was ready, but it wasn't perfect just yet.

Bella wasn't sure if Neal was going to come back to the apartment. It was strange, but while she had never fully trusted him - even while working the Picasso Museum, she never really got strange vibes off of him other than her grifter radar dinging like crazy. Yes, Neal was gorgeous, had a bright smile and when he smiled genuinely, it was even brighter. She could only imagine what he looked like underneath his clothes.

She had the feeling that he was looking for something. Something else, something different. Make a change. And for some stupid reason, she believed that maybe she could teach him things. How to make that change. But, if he wouldn't return, that was okay too. She was fine on her own, and she could likely contact a bunch of grifters in the US to help her out with taking down her family on her own.

But she still wondered what he looked like underneath his clothes.

_VitaPedrillo: What did you do?_

She scratched her head when that message popped up. If she had guessed well, this was Neal's friend Moxie. No, Mozzie. Bella had contact with Vita before, years ago, when they all worked together on a big hack that resulted in equally big rewards.

_5h1tF4c3: Your puppy is safe._

_VitaPedrillo: You__'re nuking him._

_5h1tF4c3: It was a mutual decision, I__'m only trying to make things easier for him, he might want to come back one day._

_VitaPedrillo: Seriously?_

_5h1tF4c3: Yes. I explained to him what I could do for him, and what the consequences would be if I did it. Seeing as he__'s already legally dead, it would make him even deader. He pulled the trigger himself._

_VitaPedrillo: How is he?_

_5h1tF4c3: I__'ve only known him for a few months and most of that was his cover. But he looks healthy._

_VitaPedrillo: I saw that with my own eyes, but how is he?_

_5h1tF4c3: He__'s a lost puppy. He misses his family._

_VitaPedrillo: He doesn__'t have-_

_5h1tF4c3: You and the Suit are family. Hey, if you__'re in New York… how about you find all the paper trails on him and destroy that? Make it safe for him to come back?_

_VitaPedrillo: Already on it, figured it might help. Also gave the Suits your information package; they__'re enjoying themselves._

_5h1tF4c3: They__'re Suits. They can't be trusted._

_VitaPedrillo: I said that years ago. Then a certain someone was suddenly on a leash to a Suit and things changed over the years. These Suits are trustworthy._

_5h1tF4c3: Yeah, no. I want to stay away from them as much as possible. They don__'t know who I am and I intend on keeping it that way._

_VitaPedrillo: Fine. That__'s good. But our friend is all right?_

_5h1tF4c3: Yes. Stop being a helicopter parent, he__'s fine._

Bella hated pushy friends, and she had better things to do. Bella closed the software and continued to make her final touches on her worm. Once she was satisfied, all she needed to do was to hack one of the men she wanted to steal from or, preferably, a bank, so it could spread.

She thought about her options while she waited for her cup of coffee and went for the fun route; hack a bank. Bella grabbed the last bag of fruit twizzlers and settled at the table with her laptop and started working. Banks weren't easy, but they were fun, especially the foreign ones.

Uncle Garrett and Liam returned with the groceries about an hour later, and Bella was so absorbed by what she did that she hadn't even noticed. It was only when Garrett put a plate of food next to her she looked at him with confusion. "When did you come back?"

"Hours ago," Garrett laughed, shaking his head. "You having fun?"

Bella nodded as she took a bite of her food and continued to look at her work. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Garrett said as he sat down at the table. "Neal not back yet?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure if he's coming back, which is fine. I gave him what he wanted, and he's free to go wherever with his new alias, which is already fully set up. He only has to pick up his passport at Carlo's. Which he knows so for all we know he's on his way back to the States."

"Is it truly fine, lass?" Liam asked as he took a sip of his beer and looked at her. "I've seen the way you look at him."

"And what way is that?"

He had a cocky smile on his face as he took a bite from his food and spoke with food in his mouth. "You fancy the pants off of him."

"No, I don't."

"You're not as strict with me and y'er uncle with us using our phones."

"You two aren't in contact with anyone from any sort of law enforcement agency. Neal's practically attached at the hip to a bunch of Suits," Bella countered as she put down her fork. "You know, for someone who faked his own death for a life away from all the Suits and to start over, the look on his face whenever he speaks to that Suit of his is like… happiness. So if he fucked back off to the States to tell his Suit not to take the job in Paris, then that's fine."

"He has friends in the States, people he cares about, it's harder to make clean breaks when you have people who tie you down like that," Garrett replied with a shrug. "I don't see why you're so angry about that."

She slammed her fist on the table in anger. "Because maybe I want what he has. He lives so carefree and sees the fun in just about anything and here I am, trying to be carefree but I can't. I never settled properly at the vineyard, I was itching to get away from it. And now I'm fucking hiding because my family wants me dead. Yes, the ability to walk away from crap is great, because nothing is tying me down and I'm not afraid to leave everything behind, but it shouldn't be this way, should it?"

"It makes for a good con artist."

"Yeah. It's great for you, for my family. I am a grifter, but I'm primarily a hacker, that's what I enjoy. I'm finally enjoying what I well, but I had hoped I would have been more open about shit by now," she stared at her uncle. "Because, I do think Neal is a great guy, hell, maybe even boyfriend material, but there are issues. I don't trust him, not like how I trust you two or how I trusted my family. And I am afraid to tell him the deeper stuff, as a friend, because he can use that against me. How is this a life? Neal has proven he's trustworthy and yet…" She took a deep breath and nodded before looking back at her laptop. "So yeah, if he doesn't come back, then I don't have to get angry with myself for pushing him away."

"Why wouldn't he come back?"

Bella rolled her eyes at Liam and continued to eat while typing with her other hand in silence. She was almost in. She had hacked this bank once before, and while they had done something about the security of their servers, it wasn't iron clad just yet and this time she would not alert them to it. It was their own fault that she could hack them twice. Even her old code was still on the server so they had made it a lot easier for her.

Typing 'execute' and disconnecting after a few seconds made her feel a lot better. At least in a couple of hours, she'd have capital to go to the US and hire people to help her take down her family creatively and without violence. They wouldn't see it coming.

She closed her laptop for the night and enjoyed a few beers with Garrett and Liam, Liam giving her and Garrett updates on how the Volturi are scattering away with so much eyes on them, but that he heard that there are still a few in Paris to take care of Bella. She didn't want to hear that, but it would make it even more important to leave quickly.

"I know you refuse to go back to the States, Liam, but are you coming with me, Uncle Garrett?"

"I figured we'd find someone who looks like you and I'll take her all over the place."

"That's kidnapping, Uncle."

"But it would give you some breathing space."

Bella smiled then. "That's sweet, but don't you want to have your hand in getting even with my dad?"

Garrett let out a snort. "I'm an old man."

"You're not even 50, shut up." she shook her head. "I could use you."

"Nah, darling, my grifting days are over. I'm retired. And yes, the vineyard may be gone, but I'll set up shop somewhere else. I've done my job well with getting you to see a different way of doing things, your own way, not being dictated by your family and I'm proud of you. You don't need me."

Bella nodded. She had expected him to say 'yes', but she understood why he retired. He had seen it all, done it all, and was now retired with a nice nest egg, or at least several from what she understood. She was resourceful to do this on her own, but it would have been nice if at least one of the two people she fully trusted would have been with her.

When the doorbell rang for downstairs, Liam made his way to the door and minutes later returned with Neal in tow. "Ha, told you he'd be back." Garrett laughed at Bella.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Neal reacted a little confused before grabbing a glass and the bottle of wine with his name on it before joining Bella and Garrett at the table. Bella thought something looked off about him. Neal looked somewhat haunted, mildly pained. "What?" He asked as his face broke out in sunshine and rainbows. Fake sunshine and rainbows.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You know," she said as she leaned on the table with her arm and rested her chin in her hand as she looked at him. "For a conman you're a terrible liar if you know what you're looking for," Bella replied with a playful smile on her face. "What's going on?"

Neal took a large gulp of the wine and exhaled. "Ever heard of Sterling Bosch?"

"Yeah, it's an insurance company, works globally and their investigators are tough as nails and difficult to fool." Bella nodded as she took a sip of her beer. "Why?"

"I had some dealings with one of their investigators, even with the company itself, they saved my ass once when the FBI was being dicks. Not Peter, but others," Neal replied as he refilled his glass of wine. "That investigator I was telling you about, the one with the baton like yours? She didn't believe I was really dead and spent the last few months trying to find me with her company's resources." Neal couldn't even look at her, which made Bella believe he was telling the truth.

"Why?"

"That investigator's name is Sara, and she and I were sort of in a relationship? Not when I faked my death but yeah, we've dated."

Bella took another swig of her beer to remain calm as she kept her eyes on Neal. Why wasn't she surprised? One of his friends was a Suit, why not have a girlfriend who's an insurance investigator? "What did she want?"

"After she tackled me to the ground with her baton, she wanted to talk. Sara wasn't angry with me, she understood why I did it, but she had always hoped I would take her with me," Neal replied, chugging his third glass in a short amount of time. "She even kissed me!" he cried out.

"Lad, a woman kissed you and you make it sound as if it was the most terrible thing that has happened to you," Liam laughed. "Is she attractive?"

"See, that's where it gets interesting," Neal pointed out. "I don't know if I ever loved her. I think I was in love with the idea of loving someone again, and she was an easy mark."

"Ew." Bella visibly shuddered.

"You must have done a bang-up job if that woman travelled around the world to find you," Garrett shook his head, laughing. "Is she hot?" When Bella narrowed her eyes on him, he realized that Liam had asked it before. "What? I may be old but I'm still fully functional!"

"You're gross," Bella replied as she took a sip of her beer. "Sounds terrible, Neal."

"Right?" Neal agreed with a nod as he poured himself another glass. "I haven't missed her since I left - and had ended things with her, mind you. Besides, there's this girl I really want to get to know better and having a complicated ex in town is bad."

Bella looked at him and shook her head before grabbing her laptop and her bottle of beer. "Guy talk time, I suppose. Good night everyone. Oh, Neal? If you want to come to the States with me, we're leaving tomorrow after stopping by at Carlo's for your passport, but you can always stay here, I'm sure Garrett won't mind you staying here."

"What time?"

Bella shrugged. "Whenever we're awake. Good night everyone, this girl is hauling her ass off to bed."


	8. Chapter 8

Bella had been to New Orleans once. Once. And she had fallen so much in love with the French Quarter that she had acquired her own space behind her family's back while she was cleaning up after them. Mia Robbins was the proud owner of a huge guest house on Dumaine Street, half a block away from Bourbon Street and Royal Street. She hadn't actually lived in it yet, but it would be the perfect hiding spot.

The guest house was far too big for her, but she really hadn't been able to control herself as she'd walk passed it. 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms was definitely overkill for just one person, much like Uncle Garrett's apartment in Paris, but that was smaller in size. Bella's guest house was over 5000 square feet in space, and before she had bought it, it was used as a bed and breakfast but it had been in disarray and she had been able to scoop it up for a low price.

There was no way that she was going to use it as a bed and breakfast. She liked her privacy. It hadn't been easy to restore the 1820's Creole Mansion to its original state, Bella wanted less rooms and less bathrooms - she figured to half it would be best but loved the walls, the ceiling and the patio of the space.

Cracked tiles and exposed brick everywhere. It truly was like a home in the French Quarter like you'd see on television.

She had hired one of the best and private renovation specialists with whom she had communicated while away. There now was a big kitchen area with everything she'd ever wanted and still remaining in the style of the house. These days, everything could be made or bought with the right amount of money and it was easy for Bella to get money.

For her, it was important to have a big stove, lots of counter space and a fridge that was three times the size she was. There was also a lot of space to put appliances and kitchen implements. Cupboards. Drawers. Large table with chairs. She couldn't wait to see it all in the flesh, sort to speak.

She had seen pictures of the den, of her computer room, the master bedroom and several guest bedrooms. There was a library without books and one of the other rooms had been made smaller but it was her art studio.

The big covered walkways over the street and the external stairs had also been a great selling point. You couldn't actually see the stairs from the street, as it was hidden behind two doors, but once you were through the doors, there was a passageway to the patio and on the right a set of stairs to get to the top. Underneath the stairs there was a lot of storage space.

A private security firm that she trusted had done the security on her home. Cameras. Alarms. And once installed, she remotely wiped all of their access codes and made her own.

Her home was every girl's wet dream. Bella hadn't been sure if she'd ever use it, but now she would. No one knew about her home, not even her family. It was safe, and New Orleans was filled with enough hiding spots should things get a little too hot underneath her feet.

But first, they had to actually get there. Carlo's forged passport for Neal had looked great, a lot better than either she or Neal could have come up with in a short amount of time and it got them through customs at Charles De Gaulle Airport. It was always rewarding to see hard work rewarded like that. Neal mentioned that he was excited to go to New Orleans, seeing as while he had traveled far and wide while running from Peter Burke, he'd never been to New Orleans.

And seeing as Bella had only been there once before, they both couldn't wait to explore the beautiful city.

During or after their brainstorm on how to set up the Cullens, of course. It was more important to take them down, and they'd likely have to move to a different city to get everyone together but for now, nobody knew that she was going to be in New Orleans and she deserved a breather, didn't she?

She didn't know much about New Orleans other than she'd been there for a job once with her family and that she had her own home there now. And also that it was likely that she and Neal had to pay a visit to the Michaels family. The Michaels were a family of con-artists themselves, and they basically claimed the French Quarter as their own. At least that's what she remembered what her parents had told them. It was always good to inform the major players that you were in town.

And not meaning any harm.

It was going to be a tossup between the Michaels' accepting her and Neal's presence in the Quarter after Edward made promises to Nick Michaels and, of course, didn't make good on his promise, so Bella was ready for repercussions. Or whatever the Michaels decided.

Maybe she should have thought before she bought the house. The worst outcome would be that she'd have to do a few things for the Michaels family. Who cared?

But she truly didn't mean any harm. She simply wanted to live there, her work was all done online anyway. It was Neal that worried her, but Bella was certain that he could switch off too. Be normal. Do things he liked that didn't have anything to do with stealing or forging. Just relax. Forget the rest of the world for a while.

But, first order of business was to arrive in New Orleans, get through customs, grab a taxi and go and admire her own place. Followed by buying groceries, some clothes and sleep, in no particular order.

Bella couldn't contain her excitement as they were driven into the French Quarter. There were no words, really. The rich history mixed with some of the new…The buildings, the people… it was as if she was seeing it for the first time, but she wasn't. But she was now in New Orleans for herself. It was now her home. And she'd fallen in love all over again. Even in the car, she could hear the faint notes of jazz music and she couldn't wait to go to one of the bars to experience it all live.

"Bel—"

"We've talked about this, Neal," Bella looked at him, still wearing a stupid grin on her face. "It's Izzy, unless we're safely inside my house."

"Sorry," Neal laughed. "But the look on your face is just adorable."

She stuck out her tongue to him. "This is what true freedom feels like. You're going to love my house."

"You haven't even seen it yourself!"

"I've seen enough," she replied as she looked back out of the window. "Forget Paris. New Orleans is a majestic unicorn compared to Paris."

"It's also French."

"I know," Bella looked back at him with a smile. "But this is the first time I'm somewhere by myself. Not with my family, not on a family deadline or with my uncle. No strings, no obligations… my own private sanctuary…" She then sighed happily. "I can do whatever I want, when I want, without having to tell someone I want to do something." She then jabbed his arm with her index finger. "And for the next few days, I want to enjoy being in New Orleans, soak it all up and do fun stuff. I need fun stuff."

"The Dirty Dancing kind of fun stuff?"

"Nooooo," Bella shook her head. "The drinking, dancing and sightseeing kind of fun stuff. Maybe even some karaoke."

"Oh, no, not karaoke!"

A devious grin appeared on her face.

"What?"

"Now we're definitely going to do some karaoke!"

~o.O.o~

Her home was everything she could have ever wished for, and more. It was secure, it was big, there were so many tiny details that she loved. Her computer room was interesting, something she hadn't seen clearly on the pictures, but it was in the room with a loft, and all of her computer things were on the loft, and downstairs there was a nice area to hang on one of the comfortable sofas she bought and a big screen TV with an entertainment set.

There was also a fridge that she could stock up with for drinks or snacks and the walls had frames on them with enlarged covers of comic books that she liked. Some Hellblazer comics, others were that of Supergirl or the Green Arrow.

Because she didn't take any of her belongings with her when she went to Uncle Garrett, and they'd likely be destroyed by now by her family, the display cabinets were empty, but she was certainly going to fill them with trinkets she could find.

Another important area to her was the kitchen and it was everything she'd hoped for. Exposed beams and exposed walls, and the entire kitchen in a classic French country style. The big stove and the big fridge-freezer combination melted perfectly into the area. She loved the way how the light wood worked with the grey of the countertops and then there was some dark red in her kitchen somewhere too.

The kitchen felt nice and homey and she couldn't wait to start cooking in it.

And as with all the other rooms, her bedroom was even better than the pictures she'd seen of it. Again with the exposed beams on the ceiling, but all the walls were intact. French doors opened to the balcony overlooking the patio and giving access to the other rooms on that side of the building and there was a fireplace installed as well. A fake one, but a good fake, nonetheless. It did look like logs were burning with the fireplace turned on, but the heat came from other areas.

Bella almost had a nerdgasm when she figured out that the heating in her room was connected to the fireplace. Turn on the heat, the fireplace switched on.

And just because she could, there was an Emperor sized bed in her bedroom. Plenty of room to get nightmares, toss and turn all night without actually falling off. Although, knowing her luck, she'd manage to fall off the bed anyway. Bella fell down onto the bed and sighed happily. The mattress was just right.

She peeled herself off the bed after a few minutes of just lying there, and explored the rest of the home before finding Neal in the patio. "What do you think?"

"Your home is amazing," he replied, nodding. "A bit impersonal though."

"I'm going to fix that," Bella pointed out as she sat down in one of the other chairs. "I have nothing. It's likely my family has thrown it all away or destroyed it, which is fine, I have all the personal items I need in the bag I took."

"Your laptop?"

"That's not a personal item, Neal, that's a tool," Bella laughed. "Nah, just small things. A trinket, a picture… that sort of personal item. Everything else is replaceable."

He nodded, knowing the feeling all too well. "My friend Mozzie has this teddy bear. Tattered. He got that when he was growing up in an orphanage and called it Mozart. Moz has moved a lot over the years, but where he goes, that bear goes. I didn't take anything with me, couldn't, really. Not with the way how I left."

"What would you have taken with you?"

Neal shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the key to June's house. It felt like home. Never stayed in a place long enough before that."

She smiled then. "And here you are, leaving your cozy apartment in Montmartre to come with me to New Orleans."

"Eh, I got bored," he laughed. "Getting that Picasso was definitely a highlight, for such a simple job."

"You got into the Louvre, that sounds so much more exciting!"

"You could get into the Louvre, even bypass their security system without actually having to do all the work," Neal pointed out. "Even with all the new upgrades I told them to get. No, I liked getting that Picasso because I actually liked working with Mia, and then finding out she was you. The Picasso and everything that followed after taught me a great deal."

"Like what?"

"That you can still pull a con for the thrill and fun, but that there's a different, a sort of beneficial for all angle that interests me," Neal replied, smiling at her as he leaned back in his chair. "I never thought of that. I just wanted to keep the items because they were worth money or beautiful."

Bella had figured that that was the reason why Neal stuck around, and that was alright. While he had seemed to have found his 'off switch', and acted a lot more relaxed, he was still an opportunist and Bella wasn't going to allow herself to be played. She'd just have to crush that small crush on him that she was developing. No more figuring out what he looked like underneath his clothes. Likely well-sculpted but she'd never see him like that unless she'd catch him without his shirt on. And that was creepy.

"Well, I still keep some of the things I get, but having a storage space somewhere filled with beautiful antiques and paintings is an insult to the artists. Best place for them is to stay in museums where everyone can look at them. Going after the bad people is what I like, I get my money elsewhere, anyway," she replied as she dug around in her pocket. "Speaking of which, Neal Carter has a bank account, there's 50k in that account," she said as she placed the card on the table with the code attached on a sticky note. "I"ll get you the papers later. The money can be traced back to legitimate sources. On top of that, if you'd like, I can get you a pencoin account like the one I have, where the money you'll have will be untraceable and I can set up an extra funnel. Whenever I decide to have a bad guy donate to a charity, you'll get a percentage of that money."

He looked at her in surprise. "Why would you do that? I do have money, you know."

She shrugged. "I figured you're sticking around not only to help me with the Cullens but also to learn a different way to pull off a con for different reasons, so having some money might help you maintain your lifestyle, and payment for the job."

"Wow," Neal let out a breath and shook his head in disappointment, maybe hurt. "You really think that little of me?"

She tilted her head as she looked at him and scratched the side of her head. "What other reason could there be for you to follow me to New Orleans? Aside from the reasons previously mentioned and getting the chance to make fools out of the Cullens and run from your insurance investigator ex-girlfriend?"

"You really make me sound like an asshole when you put it like that." Bella could see that he was hurt, Neal looked like he had received a slap in the face. "For someone who's good at cold reading people and manipulating marks, you're really clueless as what's happening in front of your face, aren't you? You truly switch off."

"I'm sorry," she replied.

Neal leaned forward, a big goofy smile on his face. "No, that's okay, it's cute. But let me tell you the real reason I'm here, with you. I think you're an amazing person, Bella, and I really want to spend more time with you, to be with you."

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and nodded. Friends. Fine. She could work with that, she didn't have enough of those. "Okay."

"And not just as friends."

Bella looked at him in surprise. "Sorry?"

He gently placed his hand on her arm and squeezed it gently. "I _really_ like you, Bella. When we were at the museum, working together as Mia and George? I practically forced myself not to think about you because I knew what I was going to do and I didn't want to ruin your life, because you didn't deserve it. When you walked in on me stealing the Picasso, I forgot all about that," he replied. "And sure, I wasn't quite sure what to think when your uncle told me you were a Cullen, because they're known to be ruthless assholes, but you're different. You're this beacon of light who touches every person it comes into contact with and you're beautiful. It's so easy to be around you and just be, and that's very special."

She felt her face redden and warm up. "Uh…"

"So, in short, I've fallen for you, Bella and I don't want to get up. Please tell me that I've read you correctly and you feel the same because otherwise I've made a huge ass out of myself."

Bella bit her lip as she looked at him. She had not expected this to happen. "I've been wondering myself how good we'd be together. Not just as partners in crime."

"Let's figure that out then."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Can I kiss you now? Please?"


	9. Chapter 9

The first three days of being in New Orleans were spent getting supplies and clothes, make the building more homey and personal while Neal and Bella grew closer together. Ever since their talk, Neal had been more in her personal space and she didn't mind him being there.

She hadn't had a lot of boyfriends in the past, her family never seemed to like the guys she brought home. Instead, she had picked up random guys in bars if she wanted to get her rocks off. There had been Jacob as somewhat of an approved boyfriend, and he and Neal were day and night. It wasn't as if she and Neal were boyfriend and girlfriend, there wasn't a label, just interest and curiosity at this point, but Jacob had been possessive from the get-go and not in the nicest of ways. Neal's presence around her was protective, loving, safe.

And now that she experienced him more up close, he smelled really good.

She really couldn't wait until they both couldn't keep their hands off of each other and find out what he was wearing underneath that shirt and jacket, or even what held in his jeans. Bella had to tell herself to feel, she had explained to Neal that she had had a few bad experiences and that that was the reason that she had switched off for that side of her.

Much to her surprise, he was alright with that and would give her all the time she needed.

On the fourth day of being in New Orleans, Bella decided to set up her computer for business. Installing everything from the backups she had taken with her, and checked on her laptop how well her capital worm that she had unleashed less than a week ago had performed. It was even better than she'd hoped for. There was enough to pay for a crew, and quite well, and to buy everything they needed for the job.

While her computer was installing, she activated a script that allowed her to walk away while the OS and all the other software she needed were being installed. She then took her laptop and headed to the kitchen where Neal was making lunch, and it was smelling so good. "I said I'd make lunch."

"Yes, you did," he nodded. "But, you've been cooking for the last three days, when we weren't having food in New Orleans, and I thought I'd do it today."

"Thanks," she smiled as she took a seat at the kitchen island and placed down her laptop. "Would you like to call Mozzie to tell him you're no longer in France?"

Neal looked up from his cutting work. "Without telling him where I went?"

"Preferably. Unless you want to invite him to join us to think of a great way of taking down my siblings."

"He'd freak out if he learned who you are. The person, not just the hacker," Neal said after a moment of silence. "Best to keep him in New York, but I'd love to talk to him, yeah."

"I'm more worried about the CCTV your Suit has access to, I don't want him anywhere close." Bella booted up the software that allowed her to make calls anonymously, Mozzie's phone number was saved in the address book and dialed his number. "Have fun," she placed the laptop next to Neal on the kitchen counter so Mozzie could hear him clearly.

"_Neal?"_

"Heya, Moz, how are you doing?" Neal said chipper as he continued cutting up the vegetables.

"_Yeah, good." _Mozzie replied. _"Hey, it's good that you're calling, I could use your help with something, are you alone?"_

"Are you?"

"_Of course I am! The Suit and I aren't attached at the hip like you were and I'm not looking after baby Neal and Teddy!"_ Mozzie countered, sounding slightly hurt. _"No, this is about our bakery."_

Neal let out a snort. "Your bakery, Moz, I signed it over to you."

"_Details. It's ours. I was thinking about turning it into something else. A children's daycare. We'll teach the kids how to pickpocket and everything!"_

"Worst idea ever," Neal laughed. "What do you need help with?"

"_Are you sure you're alone? This isn't being recorded or anything?"_

Neal looked at Bella, who quietly sat at the kitchen island. "She's out, she showed me how to use this thing on her laptop and left, she needed to buy something."

"_Okay, good. Hey, do you happen to know her name? Shitface is a terrible name."_

"I do," Neal replied with a nod as he continued to cook. "But I'm not going to tell you."

"_She's a great hacker, I always thought she was a guy. I'm actually in awe of her, the things she did? Legendary. Seems like she's wasting her talents now."_

"Or," Neal looked at Bella. "She finally can do whatever she wants and that includes semi-retirement, can you blame her?"

"_I would have done more with her skills."_

"Aren't you the one who always said that with great power comes great responsibility, Moz?" Neal laughed, shaking his head. "But what about Shitface? Did Peter tell you something?"

"_Neal, as much as I think she's a legend and currently wasting her talents, she's dangerous. She can do so much damage and destroy you and everyone you've ever loved with a single click of a button."_

"I know, that's what she's offered me, to destroy me and she did," Neal replied, looking up at Bella again. "And she also gave me my life back by doing so. I trust her. No matter how much she dislikes Suits, she won't do anything to harm him, because he's my friend, and so are you. She's not malicious in any way."

"_And what if you do something stupid and she wants to take revenge?"_

"Moz, come on."

"_You want to know why she's a legend? Why most hackers in the community are afraid of her? She can get through almost any security system and firewalls that are in place. At one point she disrupted the traffic lights and bridges in… what was it… Chicago?"_

"It's funny how you love The Vulture and you're afraid of Shitface."

"_It's the Vulture who's warning me about Shitface. Shitface is a legend, but she's also insane and dangerous."_

Bella hadn't done anything remotely malicious with her hacking since she left the Cullens, and even so, she would always try to be nice about it. The two things that Mozzie mentioned about her were true, the first ability he mentioned was for ease of access and escape, and the second one was to make sure her family could make a clean getaway. Sure, she bricked several computers and servers back in the day too, but that was noob-level shit. Mozzie made it sound like she was evil enough to hack hospital servers and control someone's heart monitor or something. Or pacemakers.

Well, she could, but just because she could, didn't mean she should and would. However, it came with the territory. Shitface kept her safe.

"The Vulture is just as dangerous, Moz, and you don't hear me talk to you about her," Neal replied as he walked over to Bella with the laptop and placed it on the island before pulling her into his arms. "It's funny how last week you said I was safe with her."

"_You are! And you're not!"_

"I appreciate your concern, Moz."

"_She could land you back in prison."_

"She won't," Neal said as he rubbed Bella's back, who was now shaking out of frustration and anger. "She's not just a hacker but she's also a brilliant con artist. As smart and talented as they come. You'd be impressed by her. She's funny and has a completely different outlook on the game than you and I do. And it's beautiful. I know that you're afraid that something will happen to me, you've always looked out for me, Moz, and you still do. You don't have to be afraid you're getting replaced either. I do want you two to meet one day, perhaps after we've finished what we're about to do."

Bella sighed happily as she relaxed into Neal's arms. Oh, she was used to be called names or people not being too happy with her, but for some reason this hurt. Mozzie was Neal's best friend. Well, no, it made sense now. Mozzie was afraid she was going to take his place. But it still wasn't nice, and certainly not from someone who was supposed to know better.

"_What are you going to do?"_

"Something. Will let you know if we need your help."

"_Something big?"_

"Maybe," Neal replied. "But you don't have to worry. We're both more than capable of pulling this off and she'll never replace you. Oh, by the way, we've left France."

"_You left? Where did you go to?"_

"Somewhere, you know. I'll tell you once we're done and once Shitface believes that our Suit is a good guy."

"_All this secrecy because of the Suit?! The Suit is alright!"_

"Don't be calling the kettle black, Moz, I remember quite well how you were in the beginning towards Peter," Neal countered. "Anyway, I have to finish lunch, she's coming back soon. Talk to you later, Moz," Neal disconnected the call and pulled Bella closer to him. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"No, I understand," she replied as she looked up to him. "It's not nice to hear, but I understand. He's worried about you, that's all. It doesn't help that The Vulture is whispering in his ear. She's a hypocrite, but yeah, it's basic competitiveness, and I'm not going to stoop to her level to give you information about her that you can relay to Mozzie. I'm a nice person."

"Yes, yes you are," Neal smiled at her and softly kissed her lips before releasing her. "Am I good to continue to make lunch?"

Bella nodded as she took her laptop and sat back down again. "I know that we still need to make a plan, but seeing as we're not going to involve Mozzie, we need a crew, and I think we should make a list of who we want and then see if they're willing to help."

"Sounds good."

"And after lunch we're going to the Michaels."

"Who are they?"

"The biggest criminals in the Quarter. We're just going to say hi and tell them we're no threat to them. Offer our services, one time for free, and we'll be good."

"I've never heard of them."

"And I had never heard of you, and you never heard of me."

"Yeah, well, that's because you lived under a rock," Neal stuck out his tongue to her. "But why would you want to check in with them?"

"I need to make sure that we're good with them," Bella replied with a sigh. "My brother made a promise to them when they had a job here. In exchange for allowing the family to fuck someone up, Edward promised them that the family would do a job for them as a thank you for being allowed to pull off a con, in addition to money and a share of the loot."

"And?"

"Never make deals with a Cullen, they're not honest," Bella ran a hand through her hair. "The Michaels didn't get anything, so, I'm going to have to tell them the whole story and then offer my services, free of charge, and hope that they'll allow us to stay here. They know what I look like as I ran into the brothers while I was cleaning up my family's mess. It's only a matter of time before they realize we're right under their noses."

"Are we?"

Bella nodded. "Their compound is on Bourbon Street."

"So you like living dangerously, huh?"

She shook her head, laughing. "No, I fell in love with New Orleans. With this house. I just hope that they are the forgiving type. It's not like we're here to eat the cheese off their bread. I'm a hacker and we can easily go elsewhere if we want to pull off a con. The Michaels don't piss in their own backyard either, but from what I understand is that they know everyone who's in the Quarter that can pose a threat to them. And I want to make sure we're not a threat to them."

"Courtesy call then, sounds very archaic."

She shrugged. "This is New Orleans. Isn't everything old and dated with a flair of romance and mystery?"

"It doesn't sound safe, Bella," Neal said as he stirred the vegetables in the pan. "You don't know them, and neither do I."

"The worst they can do is tell us that we have to move. And then we'll do that within the time they'll permit us. It'd be a terrible thing to do because I really love this house and this city, but it is what it is," Bella replied as she checked her messages on her laptop. "I only know about having to do this because of my family. Seeing as you and I aren't a family and we plan on taking down them down… who knows? They might want to help us instead."

"You're insane," Neal laughed as he plated up lunch and brought it over. "But if you think this is a wise move, then let's do it. If all fails, at least we'll have scoped out their place and —"

Bella put her hand over his mouth. "No. We don't steal from other professionals unless they're bad guys who do bad things and we don't know they're bad guys who do bad things. Just that my brother likely pissed them off."

"Still cleaning up their mess then."

"I want to live in peace, not to have to look over my shoulder all the time, do you? Making friends with them might benefit us too, against people who hate Neal Caffrey even though you're dead, and the Volturi."

"Okay," Neal nodded. "After lunch."

"After lunch," Bella agreed as she took a bite of her food. The way Neal cooked was almost as if you were eating in a fancy restaurant, even plated beautifully, with care and precision. It was the complete opposite of how Bella cooked. Her food tasted good, but it was more home cooking than restaurant grade. If it fit on the plate, it fit. If not, not. And no set way to plate up either.

"We need to see if Myka Morgan is still in the game," Neal said after they ate in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. "For your list of potential people to form our crew? Myka is drop-dead gorgeous and a grifter, works with NLP."

"Neurolinguistic Programming?"

"Yes."

Bella thought for a moment before adding Myka on the notepad. "You worked with her before?"

"Yeah. Seeing as you haven't heard of me, I figured your family hasn't either, and it'd be a good thing to pick people who they don't know, makes things a lot easier. Mozzie will know how to get in touch with her, if she's still in the game," he replied before laughing when he saw Bella's face contort in disgust. "Don't worry, she likes the girls."

She smiled then. "Oh, so you've tried?"

"Of course! I wanted to see if she was interested in a threesome with Kate and I."

Kate. Neal had told her about Kate, of course. About his life with Kate before getting caught by Peter, and about what happened afterward. How she died. How he felt about Kate, and had felt. It had sounded as if it had been an unhealthy relationship. Obsession. Which he admitted, but they had an epic love, and Bella hoped that she and Neal wouldn't end up that way.

He had learned from his past and Bella was done with indulging people by rolling over and accepting jerks. She wasn't a new Kate to Neal, she knew that. So that was good. Maybe it was time to remove the breaks on her self containment. She didn't need to be afraid with and of Neal.

"A threesome?" she got off her chair and grabbed her empty plate to put in the dishwasher. "You want to share all this?" she teased him as she motioned to her body with her free hand. "Because I'm not sure I want to share all of that," she moved her hand towards his body with a devious smile on her face. "And to talk about a threesome before we even enjoyed each other's bodies? Ha!"

"I didn't— I didn't mean to— uhh, no. No to sharing. I want you all to myself," Neal said flustered. "Threesomes are overrated."

"Uhuh. They can be hot, though," Bella winked at him as she put her plate in the dishwasher and wiggled her ass in the air before turning around, smiling widely. "So, ready to go?"

"You're mean and you're evil. Who are you and what have you done to Bella?"

She moved over to him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Let's go to the Michaels… and then we can have some fun… if you're up for it," she said as she dug her hands into his hair and pushed her body against his while he was still seated.

"How about that first… them later?"

"Patience," she laughed and kissed him again. "Come on, the sooner we do this, the sooner we're back here."


	10. Chapter 10

Bella loved the French Quarter. There were no real street poles beaming a lot of light down on you, but every building had these tiny lights that illuminated just enough. And, during the day, you could see all the different colors of the houses. She didn't know exactly where to go to visit the Michaels, but they had a home on Bourbon Street, and it was painted in rich jewel tones, as well as on the inside as outside, from what she had been told. And on the walls on the outside were stone Ms.

Her family had visited the Michaels. Not her, and to be honest, she was really nervous about it. She had heard that the family was ruthless. Then again, the Cullens thought of themselves as good and righteous and now that she had a different view of things, she knew it wasn't that way at all.

Not everything had been bad. There were good times, such as playing baseball while younger and visiting family in Alaska. It had been terribly cold, but it had been a lot of fun because after every match there would be hot cocoa waiting with her name on it.

Even learning how to pickpocket on the Strip in Las Vegas were fun day trips. The fun changed, however, when something went wrong during a mission and they had to leave Grant behind. The family then went to dark for a few months and during that time, nothing was the same anymore and Bella was to move in the shadows at all times, not to step out in the light.

She was so good at it, that even she forgot she existed at some point. Uncle Garrett changed all that.

If only he had prepared her for dealing with yet another crime family. Bella hated politics. Dealing with other criminals and making sure everything would end positively meant politics. Negotiating.

She would have loved to have learned some diplomatic skills. Then again, being a diplomat and political sucked anyway.

But it was still the best decision to buy her home in the French Quarter. Bella merely hoped that the Michaels would be agreeable. "Oh, this is it," she said as she pointed to the building. It was not heavily painted in jewel tones, it was more earthy on the outside, big windows and big doors. It was a Creole Mansion like her home, but then twice as big, if not more.

Bella liked seeing the balconies filled with flowers and that was something she'd like to do as well in a later stage. Maybe instead of flowers grow herbs and strawberries and other types of food. But that meant that she'd have to stay in New Orleans for a longer period of time and she wasn't sure if that was going to happen right now.

"I'll follow your lead," Neal smiled at her before laughing upon seeing the look on her face. "What? Your family has history with them, not me!"

She rolled her eyes at him as she walked towards the open gate and peered into the courtyard. It was freakishly empty, devoid of people but with furniture out. To her right, there was a huge bell so she decided to ring it to see what would happen.

It took a few minutes before the younger brother appeared in the little passageway. "Wow, who died?" He was slightly taller than Neal and likely closer to Bella's age, but she couldn't be sure. He looked at them with an inquisitive look on his face before realizing he'd seen Bella before. "You."

"Hi," Bella smiled at him. "I'm Izzy Sheppard, this is Neal Carter, can we come in? Talk?"

"You're a Cullen, and you lot cost us a lot of money."

Bella nodded, understanding what he was saying. "I was, and I'm here to make amends, can we please come in and talk to you and your family?"

He sighed and nodded. "I'm Cole, come on in," he said as he stepped aside to allow Bella and Neal to enter the courtyard. "Whatd'ya mean, you was?"

"I'll explain," she smiled at him. "Can you call your brother?"

Cole nodded. "Nick! Myriam! We have visitors!" He called out as he looked up to the balconies over the courtyard. Like Bella had expected, the home was bigger than it looked from the outside. The inside was painted in rich jewel tones, emerald green, topaz yellow, ruby red, from what she could identify of the colors. Like her home, the balconies were made out of wrought iron railings, looking absolutely beautiful and in every corner there were candelabras. It was almost as if they had stepped back in time. It looked antique, but it was beautiful.

Nick and Myriam soon emerged from one of the rooms upstairs and made their way down the stairs towards the courtyard, and Nick immediately recognized Bella. "You have a lot of nerve coming back," he said as he straightened himself up, a menacing look on his face, causing Neal to take a step in front of Bella. "You and your family cost me a lot of money!"

"I know," Bella said calmly. "I'm here to rectify that, make amends. I was only doing what I was instructed to do, even though it was a shitty move. But things have changed and I wish to talk to you about that."

"Have a seat," Myriam smiled kindly as she took Bella's hand to pull her away from Neal and towards the comfortable looking couches. "I'm Myriam Michaels, I'm Nick's wife." Myriam had neatly cut brown hair, dark brown eyes and she looked simply stunning in that white dress she was wearing, complimenting her olive skin.

"Izzy Sheppard," Bella replied as she sat down next to Myriam. "That's Neal Carter, he's with me."

"Oh, but we all know Neal Caffrey," Nick said as he eyed him. "Looking good for a dead guy."

"Thanks," Neal smiled brightly as he made his way over to one of the chairs next to Bella, to make sure she was safe.

After Nick and Cole sat down too, Bella told her story. Everything. The Cullens. How she left. Why she left. The Volturi. "When we were in New Orleans and you got the short end of the stick, I fell in love with the city and I bought a house here."

"Oh! That house on Dumaine? Practically next to the Voodoo Museum? I always wondered what was going on in there!" Cole said brightly. "That was your doing?"

Bella nodded, a smile on her face. "It's a beautiful place, I couldn't help myself."

"I bet!"

"Anyway, I hope that it's alright with you if Neal and I live there. We won't get into any trouble or find marks here in the Quarter," she said as she looked at Myriam, then at Nick and then realized Nick was looking at his wife. So Bella had been right, Myriam was pulling the strings in this family. "And to make up for what I did to help my family, I'll happily pay you the money owed and offer my services."

Both brothers looked at Myriam with an 'I don't care' kind of look on their faces before Nick spoke. "I believe she's telling the truth. Matches up with a lot of recent activity we've discovered and what Cole found with his friends on the internet."

Myriam nodded as she smiled at Bella. "Fuck that. We have enough money, your family has no honor and that's the most frustrating event from that job we allowed them to do here. And they want you dead? For leaving them? What kind of a shitty family is that?" She exclaimed, shaking her head. "No, you don't have to pay us back. Instead, I want to offer you our resources and ourselves to go after your family. Set them up real good and put them away for years and years to come. How does that sound?"

Bella was surprised to hear that. "Huh?" That didn't quite sound intelligent but she really didn't know what to say about this.

"We took a chance with the Cullens all those years ago. Everyone's heard of them, what they do, what they're capable of, and we were merely curious if all those rumors were true," Nick said as he leaned back in his chair, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "We've been planning on going after them for years but never found a reason good enough other than 'because we can'."

"Because we can," Cole nodded. "We already have a plan and people on retainer."

"I can't believe it's that easy," Neal said as he scratched his head. "If something is too good to be true, it's usually is."

Myriam let out a breath. "We pride ourselves in honor and kindness. We do things for the rush, and we are very good at taking revenge," she motioned around them. "Look at this place. We don't have to pull off jobs, we're set for life. But we want to. And the Cullens are on our bucket list."

"But I am a Cullen," Bella piped up.

"Honey, you introduced yourself as Izzy Sheppard. You may have grown up with the Cullens, but you're no Cullen. You know what they did and still had the balls to come here, ask for forgiveness and if it was going to be a problem if you lived in the Quarter," Myriam put an arm around her and smiled widely. "And if Neal fucking Caffrey chooses to hang out with you, you're alright in my book."

"Besides, it's always fascinating when a family wants a relative dead," Nick quipped, earning him a stern look from Myriam. "What? It's true!"

"But first things first. You're a hacker. Otherwise you couldn't have had them escape New Orleans like that. What's your handle?" Cole asked, curiosity on his face. "I've been dying to know."

Bella scowled. "I'm going to retire the name, I've used it for a long time now and I'm starting to get noticed."

"Come on, what is it?"

"It's not important."

"Bel— Izzy, you said you'd share everything," Neal coaxed her. "I'm pretty sure your secret is safe with these people too."

"But I'm retiring shitface, I only need to—"

"Shit!" Cole cried out. "You're 5h1tF4c3? I always thought it was a dude! I always imagined having a drink with Shitface, play some pool and shit like that but you're really him?"

Neal had this big goofy grin on his face, beaming with pride. "That never gets old.'

"I never purposely revealed my gender. But if I want to fully be free from the Cullens, it's a name I have to retire," Bella replied. "Please tell me you're Mingus."

"No," Cole shook his head. "I'm Tr0uble."

"Yes, yes you are," Nick nodded.

"I've heard of you, seen your work," Bella smiled. "I like your stuff!"

"Really?"

Bella nodded. "The schematics and code you posted for bricking a physical pc in a few seconds was amazing, got a real kick out of that, and I included some of your other code on my tablet for when I hack things on site like security alarms and whatnot because I couldn't figure something out."

"Oh, don't flatter him," Nick rolled his eyes at her. "His ego is big enough already."

"But it's true! His code helped me, a lot," Bella replied with a nod, seeing Cole's smile growing bigger and bigger. "I'm more of a code girl instead of a gadget girl so yeah. With you sharing your inventions so openly, I took advantage of that, sorry."

"Oh no, that's why it's out there, I have more ideas in my workshop, all fully functional but didn't want to share that. Wanna see?"

"Uh, no, sorry, I'm still a little shocked how you want to help a complete stranger," Bella said as she ran her hand through her hair. "And I'm not sure if I should accept the help."

"I get that," Myriam nodded knowingly. "You don't know if you can trust us, and that's a good thing. You don't believe we're not doing this out of the goodness of our own hearts—"

"Which we aren't, we simply enjoy taking down assholes," Cole added.

"Nobody sends hitmen after their own flesh and blood and gets away with it. You need a crew, Izzy, and we can help you out with that. Again, we already have a plan, and we already have a crew, and feel free to make any changes," Myriam continued, shooting an annoyed look towards Cole, who shrugged in return.

Neal wasn't sure what to think. He had thought going to the Michaels had been a bad idea after what Bella had told him about them, but here they were, being the complete opposite. They were… normal. To be honest, he'd never met other conmen and women who were this upfront in the first meeting, which made him believe that the Michaels were truthful.

Then again, it could be a ruse, too.

"Tell you what," Myriam said as she looked at Bella. "We'll write down the plan that we have, give you the names of our crew, and if you like what you see, you can hire us to help you. I mean, I think your next move was to find a crew anyway, wasn't it? This way, if we betray you in anyway, you can withhold payment."

"Okay, that sounds good," Bella said after thinking it over. "I'm sorry, it's just—"

"I understand, cherie, don't you worry," the other woman smiled kindly. "I've been where you are, right in that exact same spot, many many years ago. There's no honor amongst thieves, that's true, but that's not how we work, and after what you've told us, that's not how you work. Not sure about your man, though."

"I'll be good," Neal replied, slightly offended. "Do you honestly think she'd allow me to stick around if I weren't?"

"Well, yes," Myriam replied as a matter of factly. "You're eye candy. I'd do you in a heartbeat."

Neal's face broke out in the stupidest grin.

"Down boy," Bella told him playfully. "I can assure you that Neal's on his way to become an honest conman."

"Good to hear," Nick replied. "So do we have a deal then? We offer you our services, work with you with the plan, and if it fails, you won't have to pay us."

"Sure," Bella shrugged. "What do I have to lose?"

"Great!" Nick was ecstatic. A wide grin on his face. "To protect our potential employer from those who will eventually come to New Orleans to kill her, I'd like you to have one of my trusted men to keep you safe."

"But I am safe," Bella replied sheepishly. "My house is protected, we both know how to shoot a gun when needed."

"Ah, but when you go out, you're going to need a shadow. Don't worry, he works discretely. You won't even see him."

"Anyone I know?" Neal asked curiously.

"Doubt it," Nick replied. "Which is why working with us will benefit you taking your revenge, Izzy, it's likely your family hasn't heard of the players either. Your family won't know what hit them. However, what we need from you is a list of who's who, and what they can do so we can anticipate and see where we can put our assets in play."

"Uh, yeah, sure, I can do that."

"Cole will pick it up tomorrow."

~o.O.o~

Bella wasn't quite sure what had happened as she and Neal walked home. For some reason she had a very bad feeling about the Michaels and maybe, just maybe, she had made things worse. "Do you think your friend Mozzie knows about these people?"

"He might, why?"

"Well, you trust him, so…" Bella shrugged. "I don't know, I feel weird about this. It's too easy. I can't believe it's this easy. So I'd be really happy to get a second opinion from someone you know and trust, and, for a third opinion I might ask Mingus."

"You trust him?"

"Not completely, but he seems to be knowledgeable and he knows a lot of hackers, seeing as Cole is one and I know his handle… Yeah, Mingus might know about them."

"We've got a plan then," Neal replied as he pointed at a pastry place. "Binge on pastries?"

"Ohh, pastries," Bella cooed agreeably. "Let's get a bunch of them, and maybe a good bottle of wine from that liquor store next to it."

Once they got back home, they settled on the couch in the reception area, turned on the TV on low and Bella pulled her laptop in to her lap as she bit down on a pastry. "Mozzie first?"

"Sure."

Bella nodded as she booted up her phone software and finished chewing her first bite. "If he does know the Michaels and know that they're in New Orleans, do you think Mozzie can keep it to himself?"

"Don't worry, he won't tell Peter," Neal laughed as he poured them a glass of wine. "And if he wants to come over, I can ask him to stay in New York to keep an eye on Peter, to make sure that Peter's not looking into you."

"What makes you say he won't look into you?"

"Mozzie will likely tell him I'm still in France," Neal shrugged. "And even though I'm now a new man, on paper, doesn't mean that Peter won't move heaven and earth to prove that I'm Neal Caffrey again. Or arrest me for those crimes again or whatever. Not that I think he will. He just wants to see me, I suppose. Maybe a day trip to the Big Apple?"

"If you want," Bella replied as she dialed Mozzie's number. "Just know that I won't come with you," she stuck out her tongue to him.

"_I'm feeling popular, this is the most amount of times you've called me in a short amount of time, Neal."_

"Sorry, Moz," Neal apologized. "I'm looking for some intel."

"_I could just come to you, it'll be like old times."_

"Maybe once this is all over, I really would like you to meet Shitface."

"_Still not saying her name, are we?"_

"Just respecting her rules," Neal smiled at her and Bella let out a sigh of relief and continued to eat her pastry. "Anyway, have you ever heard of the Michaels family?"

"_Of course,"_ Mozzie replied. _"They've been around quite some time and in our world, too. It started off with their great-great grandfather or something. I hear that there are pockets of them all over America."_

"What's your take on them?" Neal reached for a beignet.

"_The only family that I've ever encountered was when I was in Michigan. Michael Michaels was one of the bigger players, sort to speak. Hard ass. Didn't appreciate his children very well, and last time I heard of him was after he got killed under suspicious circumstances. They never found out who did it. Oh, and there's a family down in New Orleans. They're alright. Bit whimpy if I must admit."_

Neal let out a snort. "And why's that?"

"_Because they work in the grey area! You and I it's black and white. We steal pretty things for it being pretty and if we get bored of it or don't use it as a secret stash, we sell it off through a fence. These guys steal for fun, making our lives a lot harder by exposing security flaws in museums and whatnot. They might be out of the game. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if that counts for all of them though. Where are you?"_

"Washington."

"_DC?"_

"No."

"_Okay, well, if there's a Michaels family there, you need to be careful with them. They don't hesitate to stab you in the back. If you're in New Orleans, you're in luck because they've gone soft. They'd rather help the helpless, be like Robin Hood or something."_

"Much like Shitface."

"_Ha, she's just rebelling. Her true colors will show in time."_

"I don't think so, Moz."

"_We'll see, my friend, we'll see. Don't allow her to make you go soft if she's not rebelling. You can't lose your edge."_

"Moz."

"_I know, I know, you went to France after you died because you needed a fresh start."_

"Right."

"_Don't change who you are, that's all I'm saying."_

"Thanks, Moz, you were very helpful."

"Yeah, please stop treating him like a small child, thanks," Bella said annoyed before she disconnected the call and looked at Neal. "What? You're okay with this? With him questioning what you're doing?"

"He's just concerned."

"He's trying to control you now that you're not dead," Bella countered kindly. "He's acting like you're a child, but you're a grown man. He forgets you're in your early thirties."

Neal barked out a laugh. "Great to know I pass for early thirties still."

Bella then realized she didn't know how old Neal was. Carlo had put 30 on his passport. Neal didn't know how old she was, either. "Just how old are you?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Wow, you make me sound really old now," Neal ran a hand through his hair, also realizing that he knew that Bella was mid twenties, but, she too, could look younger. Why did this make him nervous? Getting old sucked, and if she was much younger than he was… she could choose to stop whatever they were just beginning with. "Age is just a number."

"Yeah, I know," she smiled at him. "And don't worry, I don't care how old you are, but it'd be nice to know how many candles I need to put on your birthday cake when it's your birthday."

"I'm 37."

"Now was that so hard?"

"You know, admitting that you're getting old is hard."

"It's not old, Neal. And besides, you're as old as you feel. Like you said, age is just a number," she retorted as she shifted a little to look at him, her laptop still in her lap. "So yeah, Mozzie should stop worrying about you, you're more than capable of taking care of yourself."

"I know that, but it's nice to entertain him."

"Is it?"

Neal nodded. "Don't worry," he said as he took her laptop and set it on the table before pulling her into his lap. "I find it extremely hilarious that he fears hacker you," he softly brushed her lips with his. "But he doesn't know you and that scares him a little. Mozzie doesn't do well with change." Neal tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as he looked at her with those beautiful blue eyes of his. "He'll stop in a month or so."

"Okay," she replied and smiled at him. "If you're sure."

"I'm very sure," Neal kissed her lips briefly. "Now, I told you mine…"

"Like you said, age is just a number," she replied teasingly. While she didn't care about the age gap, he might, and she didn't want to lose him. Neal made her feel safe and seen, and it was intoxicating.

"I don't care how old you are, but it'd be nice to know how many candles I need to put on your birthday cake when it's your birthday," Neal replied, using her own words against her as he kept his eyes on her.

"25."

"Just as I thought," he slightly nodded. "You're far too mature for me, but that's okay, I'll get you to play."

Bella laughed. "Really now?"

"Yeah," Neal said huskily, remembering their conversation from a couple of hours ago before they set off to meet with the Michaels. "We'll start off with having some fun," he kissed her then, his hands making his way underneath her shirt. Oh, he felt her stiffen a little under his touch before she relaxed.

Bella answered his kiss as she shifted a little in his lap to get closer to him and dug her hands into his hair. It had been too long since she was touched like this, at least this caring and warm. Neal's hands were soft, delicate as they moved over her skin. She gently tugged on his hair before one of her hands moved to the nape of his neck, causing Neal to giggle.

Breaking off the kiss for air, she looked at him with an amused smile on her face. "Ticklish?"

"Not at all," he laughed. "But seems like you've found a spot anyway!" She grinned as she moved her hand back to the spot he had such a reaction to, looking at him with fascination as he burst out laughing, his shoulders going up in the air towards his ears, trying to make himself smaller, squirming as he did so. "You're mean!"

"Am I?"

"Yes!" Neal laughed as he pulled his legs up, making them fall sideways onto the couch but he was fast enough to roll her on top of him before she'd fall off. "Are you ticklish?"

"No," Bella said as she let go of him and immediately crossed her arms over her chest, protecting her sides, and then realized what she'd done. "Ah, crap," she responded as she looked at Neal, who had a devious look on his face. She scrambled to get off of him and the couch and ran away. "Nope!"

He caught her with ease and scooped her up in his arms, laughing. "Oh yes, I need to get my revenge," Neal said as he walked towards her bedroom. "And I'm going to take time with getting it, too."

She giggled as she put her arms around his neck and batted his lashes at him. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Both."

~o.O.o~

She lost count of the times she'd seen stars as she laid curled up against Neal's naked body, still feeling his hands and fingers everywhere on her body. Bella felt satiated as she almost nodded off, feeling the rise and fall of Neal's body, hearing his breathing, his heartbeat and feeling his fingers drawing circles on her back. So good.

And now she knew what he looked like underneath his clothes. Perfect. While she didn't care about age and what bodies looked like, but everything about Neal Caffrey was fucking perfect. The way he dressed, the way he took care of himself, his grooming routine… his skin was soft. He was blessed with a sixpack and some muscle tone, even his arms were yummy.

And not to mention the rest of him. It was almost as if he was made to fit just inside of her. Slightly bigger than normal, but fuck, she'd seen stars that afternoon.

And compared to Neal, she was a slob, in every way, except when she was doing a job. But he took pride in taking care of himself, and making sure he looked good even when not on a job.

"Hungry?" he eventually asked as he kept drawing circles on her back.

"I can't feel my legs," Bella murmured against his skin, causing Neal to laugh. "What?"

"That just means that I've done a job well done."

Bella hummed and nodded for an answer.

"Seeing as I'm still able to walk, how about you stay in bed and I'll make us some food and get you something to drink."

"But that means you'll have to leave the bed," she tried crawling into him.

"Hmm… I love you being clingy. Next time we have to bring water into your bedroom."

"Yes."

"Until then, one of us has to leave the bed."

Bella sighed and nodded as she managed to let go of him. "Come back soon."

~o.O.o~

_5h1tF4c3: I know it__'s like the middle of the night. _

_Mingus: Yep._

_5h1tF4c3: Didn__'t think you'd still be awake._

_Mingus: I am :) How are you doing?_

_5h1tF4c3: Great, actually!_

_Mingus: Good to hear that, what__'s up?_

_5h1tF4c3: Well, one, I__'m going to retire this handle._

_Mingus: Okay._

_5h1tF4c3: Secondly__… have you ever heard of Tr0uble?_

_Mingus: Of course, he__'s trouble. He has brilliant ideas, the codes he posts are mental, but he doesn't seem committed, you know. Might be the people he's hanging with._

_5h1tF4c3: I thought some of his work was useful._

_Mingus: LOL. Okay. What about him?_

_5h1tF4c3: I dunno, is he trustworthy? Like__… does he have honor and won't actually fuck me over?_

_Mingus: Yeah, he__'s decent and about as elegant as an elephant in a porcelain cabinet, are you sure you want to work with him? You're more than capable of doing the hacking yourself._

_5h1tF4c3: It__'s more his associates I'm curious about. I figure that if he hangs out with the right people…_

_Mingus: Well there are rumors he__'s running with a crew, based in New Orleans I believe. Not sure. Met him once at ComTech. Very charming, smart. Unfocused. _

_5h1tF4c3: But if he__'s running with a crew…_

_Mingus: Well yeah, it__'d save you the trouble of recruiting them yourself, would it? Just expect to pay dearly. Have you come to the States yet?_

_5h1tF4c3: Yes._

_Mingus: Cool :) Did your friend make it too?_

_5h1tF4c3: Yep. Also erased his previous life completely from law enforcement servers. Was piss easy to do._

_Mingus: But what if they have old backups?_

_5h1tF4c3: Should be good for now. If not, he__'ll just has to get plastic surgery hahahaha_

_Mingus: Okay. So what__'s the plan now? Get Tr0uble's crew to help you get even?_

_5h1tF4c3: Yeah, maybe. Likely. Will be fun. It__'s just that I've always been alone and now there are people. _

_Mingus: You__'ll be fine. Didn't you grow up in a big family?_

_5h1tF4c3: I never told you that._

It took far too long for Mingus to respond after their quick messages back and forth before she told him off. Something wasn't right.

_Mingus: No, but the last name you had did._

_5h1tF4c3: Right. Are you working for them now, is that it?_

_Mingus: WTF, where did that come from?_

_5h1tF4c3: If so, you can tell them to go fuck themselves and that I__'m coming after them. Good night, Mingus._

Bella angrily disconnected the call and started the process of deleting every mention of 5h1tF4c3 off the web, which was easier to do than deleting Neal from government servers. She still had her other handle to work with, 5w4n, that she used for more low key hacks or information. Bella liked that handle, she could act like a complete noob with it. She was still going to keep her name active so that nobody could pretend to be her.

Mingus' response to her still didn't sit well with her, even thinking back to the conversation she had about Neal back in France. _No one needs an ID like the one you and I created for you. Trust me on this._ She had brushed it off as Mingus refusing to do it again as they had ran into some trouble to begin with, but he was the go-to guy. She'd been referred to him by someone in the community, that he was a solid guy. _I am interested in helping you set up whoever wants you dead._

And she had just told him.

Fuck.

Surely it was just her paranoia talking shit about Mingus.

"Hmm, I don't like that look on your face," Neal said as he set down a glass of water next to her on her desk and pulled up a chair. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Bella sighed, shaking her head. "Probably nothing."

"Did you talk to Mingus?"

"I did," she nodded as she ran a hand through her hair. "And it's not adding up and I fear that I've been set up. He might be working for my family."

"Really?"

"Yeah, or something else is at play here," she said as she started looking for her former hacker friend who brought her into touch with Mingus. Just as she suspected, that handle hadn't logged in in a very long time, but was still around. Digging some deeper, she found a list of suspected law enforcement hackers. And her hacker friend _and _Mingus were on there. She wasn't sure if she could trust the list, seeing as 5h1tF4c3 was on there too and some other people who definitely weren't law enforcement.

"I'm going to do something incredibly stupid," she said as she made sure they were extra secure and opened a software for extra brute force. "It's going to take some time but someone of Mingus' caliber should totally be on the FBI watch list, yes?"

"Aren't you?"

"Maybe, but I'm great at covering my tracks," she smiled at Neal. "If Mingus isn't on there, I could do a search in the personnel files," she added before looking at him again. "Or am I taking this too far?"

Neal shrugged. "You know what they say, don't trust anyone on the internet."

"I don't, but something just feels off about Mingus, you know."

"I'm sure he's one of you guys, he's helped you with your ID, didn't he?"

She should have thought of saving every conversation she'd ever had with anyone on the dark web, really. "Yeah but it's just the way he said certain things, and in the beginning, he knew things that I never told anyone but I brushed it off as him being a great hacker even though I covered my tracks so clearly," when Neal remained quiet Bella sighed. "What would you do if believed you didn't know someone as well as you should have? If your sense of danger kicked in?"

"Ask Mozzie," Neal shrugged.

"Pass. I remember telling him to stop being a helicopter parent."

"You're making things far too difficult."

"And I want to know who I'm dealing with."

"Who do you usually turn to for advice?"

"Hacking advice? Mingus. I'm all alone. I was the hacker of the family. I didn't have that many friends off the internet and certainly none online. Everyone's either afraid of 5h1tF4c3or there's some mad, twisted respect. I don't have anyone but you at this point, Garrett and Liam don't know stuff either. I'm alone. Hacking is a solitary job, especially when you don't want to get noticed."

"Hey, it's okay," Neal smiled at her and gently rubbed her back. "Why not reach out to Cole? You know his handle, you've met him."

"But we're still not sure if we can trust them."

Neal let out a breath and nodded. "But it doesn't hurt sometimes to take a leap of faith. You're not alone, Bella, I'm here. You can be a bit more trusting."

Just as she wanted to give in to Neal and take that leap, someone was at the door. Pulling up the video footage she was a but surprised to see Cole standing there. "Well, speak of the devil."

"Oh, you were supposed to make that list."

"Right," she then giggled as she looked at Neal. "But I was otherwise engaged last night."

Neal smirked and kissed the top of her head. "Want me to invite him in?"

"Yeah, take him to the courtyard, I'll be down in a second. I need to dress my lazy ass."

"But I love that ass."

"Sure you do," she shook her head laughing and watched him go downstairs before going to the bedroom and getting dressed. Bella really needed to start caring of herself, because she wouldn't remain looking like the way she did now when she was older, and even now, she felt she could lose a little. Bella hated her thoughts right now and wasn't sure where they were coming from.

She got dressed in a cute flowery dress and put her hair in a braid before joining Neal and Cole in the courtyard with her tablet in her hands. "Hi! Sorry, completely forgot about that list."

"That's okay," Cole smiled widely. "I can wait. I love what you've done to the place."

"Thanks," Bella smiled as she started to compile the list. "I think we're both really enjoying the fruits of that investment."

"Totally," Neal nodded. "So, how do you and you family work, though? You're doing things for fun now, but how did you get where you are now?"

"Oh, old money mostly," Cole replied with a shrug. "Good investments. A job here and there, but our mother was one of those hippies, she wanted us to share our wealth with those who were less fortunate with every job that we did. We currently are patrons of various charities here in New Orleans, even fund a local Krewe around Mardi Gras. We enjoy what we're doing and the rush that comes with it."

"Am I really the only one who likes to steal stuff and keep it for himself? You're making me sound like an egotistical asshole," Neal laughed, shaking his head.

"No, I lived like that," Bella said, not looking up from her tablet. "Uncle Garrett taught me a different way, especially because I felt miserable between my siblings and cared enough about the aftermath that I sometimes donated to the victims. They didn't even go after the rich, but after the ordinary person sometimes, especially when they were bankrolled by rich people. It was just…"

"Sounds awful," Cole replied. "Especially with them wanting you dead, what did you do to piss them off?"

"Nothing," Bella replied with a sigh. "I suppose leaving, choosing for myself. Maybe they're afraid I report them to the authorities or something, which I won't ever do unless they really force my hand."

"Well, loyalty is a good thing, shame that your own family doesn't trust you enough."

"Isn't a nice feeling, I can tell you," she said as she kept typing on her tablet. "Which is why I want to go after them myself, to show them that I can do what they can do. Just no deaths. Just arrests."

"Got that," Cole nodded. "We don't like using guns anyway. Ronon and Henry might, but they're our hitters."

"Ronon?"

"Well," Cole laughed. "Fun story, his name is Jason May, right? But he's this huge guy, tiny heart, doesn't speak much and honestly, he looks like someone from a show I used to watch."

"Stargate Atlantis?"

"Yes! Which is why I nicknamed him Ronon, and he doesn't care. If he does, he's not saying anything."

Bella let out a snort as she shook her head. "It's the show that keeps on giving, gone too soon."

"Right?"

"Neal's last name was picked from that, and so was mine."

"You two are such nerds," Neal laughed, shaking his head. "I"m going to leave you alone for a moment and get us something to drink."

"So you work on your tablet?"

Bella looked up and shook her head. "I have a laptop and a pc. I only use this one when I'm on the go, but I figured it would take notes as well," she smiled at Cole. "Great source of distraction, kinda makes it hard to forget I actually have to interact with real people sometimes."

"That's alright, I'm merely wondering what you are," Cole leaned on the tiny table and smiled up at her. "Because you see, I've spent some time last night doing some research in to you and your family, get an idea of how they work, my brother was reading along and profiling them from the snippets we could find. Most cases they didn't need a hacker to clean up their shit, but instead it was either a cop involved or foreigners or in some cases the area would be closed up and cleaned up. You can't tell me that was all you."

"Okay," Bella nodded. "I won't."

"What?"

"I won't tell you that was all me, or at least people that I had to find and then pay well," Bella replied as she kept typing. "I know a little about a lot, I'm not the best at grifting or cold reading people, but I can get by. Hell, I even fooled Neal Caffrey, and that's saying something. Hacking is what I love doing and unlike everything else that I know, I taught this myself."

"Taught?"

Bella nodded. "I was the youngest, but we were all trained by people in the field. Reading letters from Matthew Keller, books on Charles Ponzi, Gaston Means, Daniel Levey… Frank Abagnale Jr… Natwarlal, of course, with the added bonus of books on psychopaths and killers, having unsavory people teaching us…"

"But you were taught?"

"Yeah? You weren't?"

"No," Cole laughed. "Well, not like you. It was just passed on to us, and I didn't want it. So I left and faked being a hacker for a while before I realized I was one after a couple of months. I have this… gift to learn new things fairly quickly."

"Cool," Bella smiled and looked at Neal who was returning with a soda bottle and three glasses.

"We're out of wine," he sulked as he sat down. "We need a wine cellar."

"Okay," Bella laughed. "Sounds great."

"Really? But you don't drink that much."

She shrugged for an answer then before sending the file over to Cole. "If you have any questions about my family, let me know, I could clarify stuff."

Cole looked it over and nodded. "I see no mention of your twin brother?"

"You have a brother?" Neal said surprised as he poured himself a glass of the soda that Bella liked so much. Maybe, it wouldn't be vile.

"Had," Bella replied, slightly angry that Cole had found out about him. "Had a brother and I've been trying to forget him ever since he… died."

"What happened?"

Bella remained quiet as she poured herself a drink and finished her glass with a sigh. "We were nine or ten and we were used as a tool in a con that they were running," she eventually said. "I fucked up and my brother came back for me, took my place, made sure I escaped okay while he got taken by the cops. I was told that he died in foster care because the police kept asking him about his family, but we'd never tell. And he was the strongest of us. So yeah, I needed to be better, and keep my mouth shut. Make sure everyone would get out, stay away from the authorities, and remain safe."

"You were just kids," Neal gently rubbed Bella's back. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, it was. I fucked up. If I hadn't fucked up, Grant would still be with me. We'd be doing this together."

"Or not," Neal pointed out. "You never know." He now understood where her obsession came from when it came to staying away from law enforcement, why she didn't like it that one of his friends was an FBI agent. It all made sense now. She'd lost her twin brother and felt guilty about it. He could only imagine what it'd feel like to carry that guilt with him for 15 years.

"No, best is to look to the future and live my life as best and safe that I can," she then looked at Cole. "And just how did you know about my twin brother?"

"News articles."

It was a good enough reason for her. "So yeah, the notes I sent you are on every member of the family. Emmett, the twins Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Edward. You could also try to include Carlisle and Esme in the plan, but they're squeaky clean on paper."

"Brilliant, thanks. I'm sure we can work with that. If not, I'll shoot you a message."

"There are also other players involved, the Blacks. Jacob used to be one of the approved friends I could play with as he was closer my age than anyone else around us," Bella replied. "So I included them as well."

"The Blacks are pure filth," Cole sighed before breaking out in the biggest, goofiest smile ever. "This is going to be so much fun!"


	12. Chapter 12

After Cole had left, Bella took a phone out of her pocket and started to scroll through it with a satisfied smile on her face. "That was fun."

"Was it?"

She nodded, still that smile on her face. "See, I don't keep anything on my phone. I jailbroke my phone, and there's an app on there that resets my phone to factory settings after every time I make a phone call. I take pictures of marks on another phone with no card in it or other information."

"Yep, you're paranoid."

She glanced over to Neal then. "I have good reasons to be, and I'm not going to explain myself again," Bella replied before pointing at the phone she was holding. "Cole isn't that careful and I cloned his phone, so I can see all the images, all his contacts… He likely cloned mine too, but he'll have nothing."

"Oh, yeah, I did that a few times," Neal replied as he took a sip of his drink. "Did you get anything?"

"Yeah," she grinned as she grabbed a special cord to hook the phone up to the tablet and loaded it up so Neal could see as well. There were some pictures on there of the whole Michaels family and the texts between him and the rest of his family were quite eye opening to read; they were absolutely normal.

"They're really really normal," Neal was surprised to see that. "Groceries and stuff like that."

Bella nodded and blinked when a message came in.

_Well played, Izzy Sheppard, well played. Now, add our numbers into your own phone and message me back so I have yours. - Cole ps: get a life, your phone is suspiciously empty!_

She pouted as she looked at Neal. "But I like my phone suspiciously empty."

"Buy a phone just for them?"

"Oh, I like that idea," Bella laughed. "But you know, not even you have my phone number, so maybe I should start using it properly. Phones are useless when I use my software anyway."

"Then don't," Neal shrugged. "Send him a message back on his phone."

_What a shame that I hate phones - Bella_

_WTF. How do you make your phone calls? - Cole_

_Wouldn__'t you like to know? - Bella_

Bella disconnected the phone from her tablet, turned off the phone and moved so that she was sitting in Neal's lap. "What's your take on them?"

"I think that behind all the normalcy hide very smart minds, and they sort of remind me of you," Neal replied as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and looked at her with a smile on his face. "I'd never do business with people like them, or used to not do business with people like them because they are far different from what I know. I'm used to the backstabbers, it comes with the territory."

"But you know I don't work that way."

"And neither do they. At least not from what I can tell," Neal shrugged. "Who knows? They could become friends or at least very good allies to have."

Bella sighed and nodded. Neal was right. Maybe she was too closed off for normal contact with others in her personal life and maybe she should take more of her grifting courage to connect with people and make that her own. "Do you think that maybe I'm a little… I dunno… anti-social?"

"Yes," Neal said wholeheartedly. "But, that's alright, you're really cautious, and it takes you a while to fully trust people. I don't trust the Michaels either, but I do believe they're good people and like I said, they could become friends or very good allies."

Bella softly kissed him. "You're right, it takes me too long to trust people and I might push them away in the process. I need to show you something," she got off his lap and kissed him again as she ruffled his hair. "Stay there, I'll be back."

Bella went inside and retrieved her most priced possession that she always had on her in her bag before returning to Neal and sat back down in her lap with the item in her hands. "Not a lot of people have seen this, and this is the only thing I have left of him," Bella continued as she held the photo to her chest. "This was taken a week before I fucked up, causing him to be taken by the cops and then die in foster care."

She turned the picture around so Neal could see. The photo was worn, the image had somewhat faded and he could tell that it had had a life, just like her. Bella looked unhappy in the picture but her brother had a million watt smile on his face. "Lock picking competition while balancing on a giant circus ball, he won."

"Circus ball?"

"Yeah, like the size of those balls elephants play with. It was all about balance. I don't do balance very well. I always failed those kinds of tests, I could pick locks and lift things out of pockets just fine with both my feet on the ground. I'm not a gymnast," Bella deadpanned, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Neal let out a snort. "That does sound a bit too…"

"Over the top?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "This is a great photo, why not buy a frame for it and put it down somewhere in the house?"

"Because, if for some reason or another, we have to evacuate, I won't be able to have it with me. It's the only thing of him that I have left," Bella replied and sighed. "And it sucks."

"I don't have anything to remember lost loved ones by. Either I never had anything or left it all behind. Or used it," he shrugged. "And you know what? That's okay. I've had my answers, didn't like them, and it would be stupid to get stuck in the past."

"I'm not stuck. Losing Grant was one hell of a lesson for me."

"You said it yourself, you were nine or ten."

"So?"

"You should have been a normal kid."

"Ah, but what is normal?" Bella said as she pushed the photo in her back pocket. "Are we normal? I think we define our normal ourselves. It gets boring to see everyone else's normal and try to fit the mould, doesn't it? Best to be just ourselves."

"Sounds great," he brushed her lips with his. "What are we going to do with the rest of our day?"

A corny smile appeared on her face. "Paint me like one of your French girls?"

Neal barked out a laugh. "Fine, but then you're going to paint me like one of them too."

Wait, no, that'd be disastrous. She'd have to be naked. "Or I could just paint you, literally on you," she said thoughtfully. "But we'd need to get edible paint."

"Bella," Neal playfully warned her.

"Definitely going to have to pick that up next time we're out in town," she mused as she looked at Neal, who had a strained look on his face. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," he nodded as he got to his feet with her in his arms. "But first, I'm going to paint you like you ask. I'm going to take my time undressing you and…" Neal paused as he felt her stiffen in his arms. "What's wrong?"

"I might not have the best body to be put onto canvas."

"Oh fuck that, Bella," Neal said as he continued to walk inside. "You're absolutely beautiful."

"I feel fine the way that I am but… you take such good care of your body and I'm just…"

"You," he kissed the top of her head and smiled at her as he continued to walk towards the art room. "And I don't take that much care of my body, not anymore. It just never bounced back."

"You and your body are perfect."

"And so are you."

"I was thinking to acquire some gym things, maybe we could work out a little together."

"If you want to, but don't think that your body isn't perfect as it is. It is, deal?"

She nodded. "Sorry."

"I'm still going to take my time undressing you," he said as he gently put her down on the couch. "And maybe we'll have a little fun on this couch… followed by me painting you while you're so gorgeously blissed out… best idea ever."

~o.O.o~

The next day was spent inside as well, with Bella painting Neal and then them both admiring each other's work. Hilariously, they both decided to paint each other while heavily influenced by impressionism. They were going to discuss where to hang the partings later.

The following day, Neal took her out on a riverboat cruise with some good music and food, followed by a visit to the Burlesque theater before they realized they were being followed. Laughing, they tried getting rid of their follower and after an hour or two managed just that. Whoever had followed them was good. However, Bella and Neal were better. Especially seeing as Bella knew that there were old tunnels underneath New Orleans and one of them lead to her home. She had made sure that the entrance was well protected, with a keypad, normal keys, CCTV and an extra security door before opening it and coming into the courtyard.

As the adrenaline was pumping, they didn't think too hard about it and had fun for the rest of the night.

On the third day, she had messages from Tr0uble in her inbox. She had given him her new handle in case he needed to get a hold of her on the list she'd given him earlier that week.

_Tr0uble: You pissed off our giant. Did you forget that we wanted someone to shadow you at all times to protect you seeing as you__'re our boss for this job? _

_5w4n: Would have been nice if he__'d said hi._

Bella and Neal had completely forgotten about that, but that's what made last night so incredibly funny.

_Tr0uble: Ah._

_5w4n: Hope his feelings aren__'t too hurt._

_Tr0uble: Oh, no, he__'s impressed. Anyway, word is that there's two Suits in town looking for a dark haired, blue eyed, 5'11-ish guy. Not sure if they're looking for your friend, but it's a bit suspicious. They're staying at a hotel in the Warehouse District. The Marriott on St. Joseph. _

_5w4n: Thanks, we__'ll handle it._

Bella pushed purge on the chat and headed to her computer to check CCTV. One Suit would have been fine, it would likely have been Peter, but two? Maybe they weren't looking for Neal. The Marriott security was easy enough and she had found Peter easily. But who was the other agent with him? "Neal!"

"Yeah?"

"Could you come here for a second?"

"Several seconds, I just loaded up the washing machine." Neal laughed as he walked into the room. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah I'm going to clean the kitchen in a bit but I received a message from Cole that two Suits were in town looking for a man with your description," Bella replied and pointed at the screen. "I recognize Peter from the photos I found online, but who's that other one? Is that Mozzie?"

"No, that's not Mozzie," Neal replied thoughtfully as he ran his hand through his hair, not knowing whether he should be excited or disappointed that Peter had come to New Orleans, but he was curious who the other guy was. "Forget cleaning the kitchen," he eventually said as he'd come up with something. "Time to stretch your game muscles. You're going to find out for yourself."

"What?"

"Well, Peter knows my face, but if you're right, nobody knows who you are. You're the perfect person for this," he kissed the side of her head. "All we need is to get our hands on an NCIS badge…"

"NCIS? Navy Cops?"

"Yeah. Their New Orleans office is close by, and you're going to get us a badge to use."

"Why?"

"Because you're rusty and I'm not," Neal stuck out his tongue to her. "Don't worry, I'll be close by. For backup and just to see you work."

Bella sighed and nodded. "You know, it's entirely different to do things with preparation."

"Yes, but this is fun," Neal grinned as he followed her out. "It's harmless fun. You get the badge, we'll put your picture on it and then you'll go and find Peter and his friend and find out what they're doing here. NCIS doesn't like the FBI pissing in their jurisdiction."

"Okay, now I'm liking it. I can play bad cop."

They didn't have to look long for an NCIS agent to go out for lunch, and Bella stepped out with a map after taking a few sips of alcohol. Bella had always liked lifting things from people, it was the one time where her clumsiness was an asset and not a risk. Giggling, she stumbled into the NCIS agent and dropped her map. "Oh, sorry!" she apologized with another giggle. "Ik kan mijn hotel niet vinden!"

"English," the agent replied as he grabbed the map from the ground and handed it back to Bella, but by that time she'd already located and lifted his badge.

"English very hard," Bella slurred her words as she pointed at the map, making sure she had the Dutch accent down. "I might have had a little too much uhh… lol… eh… fun and my friends left without me."

"That's all right ma'am, what's the name of the hotel?"

"Royaal."

"Royal?"

Bella nodded and bit her lip as she looked up at the agent with an innocent look on her face.

"Yeah, c'mon, I'll take ya, it's not far," he replied as he looped her arm through hers. "My name is Christopher."

"I'm Joke," she replied as she stumbled back into him. "Oh, you have muscles. Are you a model? Someone famous?"

Chris barked out a laugh. "No ma'am, I'm just your regular kinda guy."

"You look famous."

Chris just laughed. "Are you enjoying yourself in New Orleans, ma'am?"

Bella nodded. "It's my uhm… party, I'm getting wed next week."

"Oh, congrats!" Chris exclaimed as he turned a corner with her, taking her straight to the hotel. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Siebren. He's the son of a very wealthy farmer. He's perfect, everything you want in a guy."

"What? Money?"

"Nooooo," she shook her head. "Siebren's kind, warm, cute, smart and attentive. Butttt… I may have been lead astray last night…"

"Dontcha worry, ma'am, whatever happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans," he winked at her as he pointed at the hotel. "We're nearly there."

"Thank you soooo much, I could do with a good sleep."

"Yes you could."

"Want to join me?"

"Nah, I have to get some lunch before going back to work."

"You can eat me?"

"Good night, Miss," Chris laughed as they arrived at the hotel.

"Good night, hottie," Bella giggled and watched the NCIS agent leave and smiled widely when Neal came up to her with two coffees in his hand. "That was fun."

Neal handed her the coffee as they started to walk back to the apartment. "I bet! You were enjoying yourself, weren't you?"

"Maybe just a little," Bella admitted as she took a sip of the coffee. "For an NCIS agent in a town like New Orleans he's really not paying much attention, is he?"

Neal shrugged. "So what language was that?"

"Hmm?"

"That you spoke to him? I mean, your accent sounded German but you didn't say that in German."

"It's Dutch."

"Why on Earth would you learn how to speak Dutch?" Neal laughed. "Out of all the languages, you learn a pretty useless one!"

She looked at him for a moment and shrugged. "It's not useless when you can just walk into the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, convince the curator that you work for the Queen herself and that you want a tour of the paintings and behind the scenes area where you can then plant bugs, skimmers, use an USB drive to gain access to their systems and come out of the experience with a small portrait."

"Really?"

Bella nodded. "Of course, I didn't keep it, I didn't really know a good fence."

"What did you do?"

"Found a sleazebag, discovered he was a salesman on the Waterlooplein Market and put the painting in the middle of his stuff. Then made an anonymous tip to the police," she said innocently. "And do I need to remind you that some of the best painters come from The Netherlands?"

"No."

"And I love history. The Dutch history, aside from all the art, is quite interesting. Like, The Netherlands is a monarchy and basically all the royals in the world are related, even to the Queen of England," she replied excitedly as she opened the door to her home. "You never know when you may have to use a language only maybe 30 million people in the world speak."

"One of the languages I speak is Swahili, so… you don't hear me knock it."

"Swahili?"

"Yeah, I got bored," Neal shrugged.


	13. Chapter 13

"It's usually common courtesy to give the locals a head's up," Bella replied with a slight Southern accent as she sat down in a chair to join Peter Burke and his friend. "Especially seeing as you're looking for someone."

Bella had found Burke and the other agent, who she suspected wasn't an agent as Auggie Anderson was blind, quite easily. She and Neal had looked at the CCTV cameras in the area and they found Burke and the other agent at a nice coffee place having a drink. They didn't look like they were in New Orleans on in an official capacity, but they didn't need to know that she knew that. She needed information.

"We're here on our personal time," Burke replied. "Taking in the sights."

"While looking for a person and announcing you're FBI while doing so?" she countered, raising an eyebrow. "Smells fishy to me."

"We didn't."

"Ya must have, seeing as we were tipped off," Bella winked. "But I'm here, what can I do to help?"

"Don't you have cases to solve?" Anderson replied. While he was blind, he didn't look blind, not if you didn't know what to look for. The folded cane, the slight aversion of his eyes, almost as if he wasn't making eye contact, his constant head tilt to hear where the sound was coming from.

"I multitask very well. Let me use our resources to find whoever you're looking for, and then you can go on your merry way or actually enjoying the beauty of our fair city rather sooner than later."

"We're not looking for one person, we're looking for two," Burke said as he produced a picture from his inside pocket and gave it to Bella. It was Peter with Neal, and a brunette that she figured was Peter's wife. "Unfortunately, we don't know for certain what the person he's with looks like, but she's a woman."

"It's a welfare check," Anderson added.

Bella leaned back into her chair as she looked at the two men. "I'm sorry, but he seems like an adult. What is he to you?"

"A friend. And I believe he's in danger," Burke replied, but Bella could tell that he was lying, bluffing. Likely under the knowledge that local LEOs would help quicker if there was a sense of danger involved.

"How so? Again, he seems to be an adult, is he with someone dangerous?"

"Oh, no," Anderson replied. "She's had a rough life, but she has a beautiful heart."

Bella wasn't sure what to say. She never even met this guy, how would he know her? "Ex-girlfriend?"

"No," Anderson let out a snort. "Her brother asked me to look out for her in my own special way and I did, until a couple of days ago when she disappeared. We suspect they're here in New Orleans, involved with a local crime family. We think her name is Bella, but she might also go by Izzy Sheppard."

"His name is Neal," Burke added. "He re-entered the country as Neal Carter."

Of course they knew. Bella felt the color drain from her face. This guy was lying through his teeth, and so was Peter, and she tried to suppress the anger that was rising in her. Even so, the guy was also FBI, so she'd been kept an eye on for a while, by a fucking Suit. But she was pulling a con, and she could remain composed while she was interacting with these two men. "I'll see what I can do," she eventually managed to say. "Do you have a phone number I can reach you on?" When Peter handed her his card, she rose to her feet. "Alright, gentlemen, I'll see what I can do, I'll be in touch. Enjoy your day."

She managed to walk away with some composure. Neal was home, mainly because they didn't want to risk things, but she had wished that he was with her now. Instead, she had her shadow following her, making her only more agitated. Bella caught a cab once she was sure she was far enough from Burke and Anderson and headed home.

"I knew it was a fucking bad idea," she said as she closed the door and walked straight into the courtyard where Neal was making use of the natural light to paint. "But you're going to call Burke right now, and you're going to check in with him and tell him that you're going to Canada."

"Woah, what happened? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" she blurted. "I don't know how, but the agent that was with him apparently knew me."

"A Suit?" Neal laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! I don't know how but—" It then hit her. "He's fucking Mingus! Oh, that makes so much sense now. What an asshole!"

"What?"

"I was fucking played by a Suit," she kicked against one of the chairs. "Izzy Sheppard is in the system thanks to my fuck up," she kicked against the same chair again before letting out a breath. "Izzy needs to die."

"Hey," he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "Breathe. If this Suit was out to get you, you'd been arrested a long time ago."

"You don't get it. They know Shitface is Bella. Izzy Sheppard. Me. And even though I retired that handle, they still know it was me. And if they don't know already, they'll connect the dots soon enough. They can still come after me for some dodgy shit that I did. I fucked up again," she looked up to Neal with tears in her eyes. "It's only a matter of time before they find me, and if you don't want to get implicated—"

"Hey now," Neal put a finger on her lips to shut her up. Bella was panicking like she'd been in Paris after admitting who had taken a shot at her and who was behind it, but this felt different. "I trust Peter, I don't think they'll come after you. I take it the other agent was Mingus? Wasn't he helping you in getting clear from your family? Help you with a new identity?"

"He's still a fucking Suit! It could all be a ploy to make me cooperate and now that they know who I am, they can finally get to me. All they fucking do is lie. Even told me that he was asked to look after me by my brother. My brother is dead."

Neal sucked in a breath. That did sound a bit on the suspicious side, especially now that he knew the story of her brother and how he had sacrificed himself all these years ago. There was no doubt in his mind that she was currently experiencing flashback emotions on top of everything else she was feeling right now. "I won't allow them to take you," he eventually said and planted a kiss on top of her head. "Don't worry, okay? We'll fix this."

She took the voice recorder out of her pocket and handed it to him before ducking out from under his arms. "Tell me that again after listening back to this," Bella said solemnly as she walked into the house, still shaking with anger but trying to contain it. She needed a clear head for this, she could not allow her feelings to take over. She needed to be strategic about this, and that meant that she and Neal had to leave New Orleans and find a crew of her own to take down her family, and likely herself along with it.

"Hey Peter," Neal said as he walked in after her, calling Peter on his new phone. Oh, he knew that it'd likely anger Bella more, but then again, she had this look on her face that she was about to give everything up. "Heard you were looking for me," he turned the phone on speaker so that Bella could hear as well.

"_That agent works fast."_

"She sure does," Neal replied as he took Bella's hand and pulled her along to the couch. "There's no need for a welfare check, you know, we're fine and made some new friends."

"_Are you planning something big?"_

"Yes, with people we can trust. It'd be best if you remained in the dark," he pulled her down on the couch with him and put an arm around her, making sure she couldn't go anywhere.

"_Of course."_

"_Is Izzy with you?" _

Ah, a new voice. "You must be Agent Anderson."

"_Auggie, please."_

"Mingus?"

"_Yes. Look, shitface disappeared off the dark web and our last conversation wasn't a good one."_

"Then you should have been upfront with her from the start," Neal replied as he looked at Bella. She was a bit more composed than she'd been before, but this wasn't the time for her to bottle things up. "You put her in WITSEC, didn't you?"

"_Yes."_

Bingo. Bella didn't have to fear getting arrested for what she did for the Cullens at least. "And you didn't give her a choice. Nor did you inform her."

"_I admit I made mistakes, but it was necessary. Only I knew her real identity and what she'd been through and that's what kept her safe, just like I promised her brother. When I figured out she was with you, I contacted Agent Burke."_

"You really need to stop bringing up her brother. She doesn't like that very much as he's dead and she's been struggling with the repercussions ever since."

"_But he's alive. We were stationed together in Afghanistan before he went AWOL and do his own thing to protect her. He asked me to find a way to look after her in my own way, and I did, after I got my accident and landed my current job at the FBI."_

"Then where is he?"

"_That I don't know, but his name was Grant Swan when we met. I told him to tell her that he was still alive, but apparently he had other ideas."_

"Lies," Bella whispered.

"_Or maybe you have been lied to for most of your life. Look, I know you're scared about being in the system, but you're not. A Marshall owed me a favor, and everything is destroyed. There are no copies of anything whatsoever. No association between you and the Cullens. I promise."_

"Hear that? You're safe," Neal told her with a smile. "Nothing to worry about."

"_The Volturi found you and your uncle because he wasn't protected and as far as we know, they don't know you're here and your name. Coming back to the US was a good thing."_

"_You don't have to plot a revenge against the Cullens, all it takes is to tell us everything we need to know and we can build a case against them," _Peter said, causing Bella to shake her head.

"She won't ever rat out her family, Peter. It's not that easy," Neal said as he gently rubbed Bella's back. "I'll tell you what, let's meet tonight, you and I, there's this establishment on Bourbon Street that serve some of the best wines in the city. I'll tell you all that I can, whilst protecting Izzy."

"No," Bella shook her head. "No, he'll take you back and—"

"No, he won't, right, Peter?"

"_Just a chat amongst friends. I never even took my badge with me."_

"_Agent LaSalle?"_

"_What are you talking about, Auggie?"_

"_That's the voice of the NCIS agent who came to visit us."_

"I'm done," Bella wrestled herself out of Neal's hold and walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and opened her laptop to do a search for Grant Swan _and _Grant Cullen. She was going to prove that the FBI were lying assholes. She wanted to stay as far away as possible from them.

She took a swig of the bottle while she heard Neal talk in the other room and decided to try and find Grant Swan everywhere, in every database that she'd ever cracked and hacked.

_Tr0uble: The giant followed you today. He said you were upset. You okay?_

_5w4n: Dealing with Suits. Mingus is a fucking suit. Long story._

_Tr0uble: Are you okay?_

_5w4n: I will be, once I can prove to N that the Suits are lying._

_Tr0uble: About what?_

_5w4n: My brother._

_Tr0uble: And what if they__'re not lying?_

_5w4n: They__'re still suits. Can't trust them even though N does. He's like his pet._

_Tr0uble: I__'m going to add 'emotional warfare' to the list to take into account for our plan._

_5w4n: Why?_

_Tr0uble: What__'s the best way to control your kids? To make them scared of something. We have had our issues with that in the past and it took us a while to get over it. I was still young and adapted quickly but my brother took the brunt of it, he still has issues with it sometimes. _

_5w4n: That__'s not what's going on._

_Tr0uble: Pretty sure it is. Trust your man. Everything is going to be okay. Your life is not falling apart, got that? Don__'t do anything stupid, we still want to get paid!_

Bella huffed as she allowed her code to crawl the web and took her bottle as she got up from the chair, seeing Neal stand in the doorway, leaning against the door post, looking at her. "I'm sorry," she apologized s she took a swig of the bottle. "I'm also sorry that I decided to be an uncultured swine and drink straight from the bottle."

"No, it's okay, I understand you're afraid," Neal replied. "And hearing that you were basically tricked and forced into WITSEC isn't a nice thing to hear, either. I would be pissed."

"I am."

"But I think we both don't get the full picture of what's going on, and that's why I'm going to meet Peter tonight, to get the full story and why they're in New Orleans now."

"Burke wants to reconnect with you, isn't that obvious? Mingus is just a distraction."

"Maybe, but Peter knows I'm okay. He's not like Mozzie. So for him to actually come and look for me, means that something's up. Maybe there's some information about the Cullens and the Volturi and he doesn't want me to get caught up in, or maybe there's something else."

Bella kept her eyes on him as she took another sip of the bottle. "You don't have to get caught up with my family, I've told you this."

Neal nodded. "And I told you that I'm not going anywhere. Not without you. Every family has crazy relatives, it just sucks that both sides of our families have some screws loose."

She sighed as she set down the bottle and walked into his arms. "I feel like I have some screws loose. Just like that, things start happening which makes the ground shake underneath my feet, ready to fall away. I know that my siblings are assholes, but to maybe learn that your teachings weren't truthful?"

"You're calling it teachings. Shouldn't it be raising a child?"

Bella shrugged. "In any case, a family should be truthful and not want to kill their daughter, either. And now hearing that I've been in contact with a Suit and he tricked me? I can't believe that I fell for it. I mean… why me? There are now two Suits who know who I am. TWO!"

"And one of them is one that I trust," he said calmly as he played with her hair. "I want you to come with me tonight. Get to know Peter a little, see that he's not a bad person. He's my friend, and as he said, he left his badge at home, so he's definitely here because he's a friend," Neal kept playing with her hair as he continued. "Should you want to leave, then you can leave, but sometimes it's better to face your fear than to keep running from it."

When Bella remained quiet, he continued. "You're teaching me a new way of con artistry, that you don't have to steal for yourself but that you can do things for others. Let me teach you that not all law enforcement are a danger or bad. I have to admit, I sometimes didn't have the best of times with Peter, but he was my way out of jail, and he did teach me to think differently in some ways. We became friends and he became someone I can trust." Neal lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"Ah, what the hell, my life feels like it's coming apart at the seams already, why not tear it all up?"


	14. Chapter 14

She and Neal weren't alone in the wine bar, the Michaels family had followed them and were quietly sitting at a table not far away from them, keeping an eye out for them. And for some strange reason, it made Bella feel safer. Bella was really uncomfortable, still, but she decided to go along with Neal's idea.

Fear was sometimes a good thing, and maybe she'd learn something. Resistance was in some cases unhealthy and Neal had spoken about Peter in such a way so often, that it was easier to give in.

She had the strategic plan of shutting up and drinking her wine.

At least Burke came alone, like he had told Neal, which was a good thing. Bella wasn't sure if she could deal with Mingus right now. There was one silver lining; when she and Neal would arrive home, her little program would likely have accumulated all the information on Grant Swan and/or Grant Cullen and it would be nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She wasn't sure what she'd feel if her brother was still alive. Likely that her entire life had been a lie and Bella wasn't prepared for that notion.

At least Burke's smile was genuine when he hugged Neal tightly. So was Neal's. So Neal hadn't been playing to have befriended the Suit - which had been a possibility, but it was good to see confirmation of that. Neal introduced her as Izzy, which was great, and she said hi, before cloning Peter's phone and remained quiet while the two old friends caught up with each other.

Oh, Bella knew that Peter was only one of the few people Neal fully trusted, and that should count for something because she believed she was one of those people as well, but how could you trust a Suit?

She quietly observed him, and Neal, as they talked, and Peter seemed to be quite relaxed, not as uptight during some of the calls she'd overheard. Very friendly too, a real family man. Super masculine, the typical look of a Suit, but yet, also a softness and a fondness towards Neal. Burke showed Neal pictures of one year old Neal Burke on his phone, pictures of other people that were a part of Neal's history with the Suit and occasionally saw flashes of regret on Neal's face.

Regret for faking his own death to live the way he wanted to?

She was surprised though that out of nowhere, Burke head slapped Neal.

"Ow! Why did you do that?" Neal pouted as he rubbed his head.

"Look, Neal, not that I'm very very happy to see you in the flesh, but what's the use of faking your own death and then coming back to the States when you should be on the run from the Panthers? We never were able to catch them all. Even Mozzie was raging about you being back here as it puts you, and everyone you ever cared about in danger," Peter said in a hushed voice. "He even told me that you told him to go back to basics. Going after a large crime family and coming back to the US is not going back to basics, Neal!"

Bella's head shot up from examining Peter's phone upon hearing the name. "Panthers? As in… Pink Panthers?" Oh, she wasn't going to tell them that the Cullens loved the Panthers. Carlisle even lend her to the Panthers once to create a gadget just for them. They were bad, bad people, the thought of Neal allowing himself to get caught up in that… Was it because of the FBI? Did Peter put Neal in the line of fire?

"She didn't know, Peter."

"You should have told me!" she hissed as she, too, slapped Neal on the head. "Their notoriety matches that of the Volturi, they're a bunch of psychopaths and professional killers!"

"Would you have accepted me and my help if I had told you?"

"You, yes. Your help? No. I would have asked my Uncle and Liam to keep you drugged and tied down."

"That doesn't work," Peter shook his head. "Even while drugged he can get out of restraints, it's almost as if he can't help himself."

"It'll be fine," Neal took a sip of his wine. "Neal Caffrey is dead and wiped. We still have time to go after your family, Izzy, I'm not too worried. Besides, the FBI got them all, didn't they?"

Bella settled back in her chair and took a sip of her wine. Yeah, he wasn't worried. Just like she wasn't worried about the Cullens and the Volturi. "You still should have told me," Bella muttered as she looked back on the phone. She was going to see about the status of the Panthers when they got back home, but she hadn't heard of them for quite some time now, not after the FBI took them down. "Wait, you had a hand in them getting put away?"

"Yeah," Neal smiled brightly.

"But they're in jail now."

"Yes," Peter nodded. "Right where they belong."

"The Panthers are in jail. So there's still a Pink Panther group somewhere else, it's merely finding out where," she concluded. "They're like Hydra, really. Cut off one head, they'll grow another."

"Who?" Peter and Neal looked at her with the same confused look on their faces.

"Seriously, you need to get out more," Bella replied as she looked at Cole who was sitting in her view at the bar and he rolled his eyes. Yeah, he understood that reference. Of course he did. She was still going to check out to see how much of a threat the Panthers still were. When she briefly looked at Peter before looking back on the phone, she noticed that he had a look that could rival her Uncle Garrett's look when pointing out something obvious with concern. "As long as Neal doesn't draw attention to himself, he'll be fine. I doubt that they've shared his photo around, or yours, or your family's."

"And how do you know?"

Bella sighed as she put the phone in her pocket to fully focus on the conversation. "The Panthers don't employ hackers of their own, they hire them on the darknet. I haven't seen any recruiting going on for them last time I checked. I'm also keeping tabs on Neal's names and aliases on there to see if anyone is looking for him. Your adult son is safe, suit."

"I wasn't saying —"

"You're concerned about your friend, I understand that, and I appreciate that," she said as she took a sip of her wine. "But I'm not just some girl, and anyone who's my friend or in my presence long enough gets those tags to keep them safe, even if their own past is just as checkered as mine. You don't have to worry about him. On top of that, he's proven more than once that he's more than capable of recognizing danger and how to get out of it," she mused as she took another sip of her wine, keeping her eyes on the Suit. Neal was hers now. Hers. He was in her world, so he was hers. Just like she was his.

Burke seemed to want to say something but refrained from doing so before nodding. "Thank you. Now, what's this about not wanting to do things the easy way when it comes to your family, Izzy?"

"It's complicated, but also part of a mindset I've been taught to live by. Don't get law enforcement involved. On top of that, it's personal. They want me dead? I'll make sure to have them screw up and I'll be long gone once law enforcement gets involved by their own actions," Bella replied. "I might have left them, but they're still mine. My family. No matter how much I'm annoyed by them now or how much I disagree with their ways. I can play dirty, just like they taught me."

Peter shrugged then. "Fair enough. I suppose it's also a matter of honor for you, not to snitch even though things are getting complicated."

"I do have integrity," Bella replied, finishing her glass. "You boys want some more? I'll head over to the bar to get us some more," she said as she got to her feet and walked over to the bar and let out a deep breath as she grabbed onto the bar and steadied herself.

"He seems like a decent guy," Nick said as he took a stand next to her. "I never seen a conman befriend his handler like this before, their friendship is quite… unique."

"Which might be the saving grace in this situation," Bella replied after taking another deep breath and waited for another bottle of wine to appear. "I think the Suit had some influence on Neal while they worked together, but it's also the other way around. Burke does seem like the type of guy who's a straight arrow, though. By the book, always."

"Unless it's your former CI."

She shrugged. "I'm still not liking the friendship because of what I was taught, but he's truthful."

"And what of the Pink Panthers? Shall we have something happen to those who are in jail?"

"Won't that draw them all out?"

"Not when you do it the right way," Nick smiled at her. "I think that dealing with one group of psychopaths is more than enough, don't you?"

Bella took the bottle from the bartender and returned Nick's smile. "I'd be in your debt."

"Consider this part of our agreement, not as a favor."

"Thank you," she nodded before returning to the table, refilled everyone's glass, and got the cloned phone back out of her pocket to scroll through it again. There were so many pictures on there, pictures of Peter and his family, of their friends. Not a familiar face in sight, apart from some old pictures of Neal.

They were adorable. Neal with an old woman, likely June, standing next to a piano, seemingly singing. Neal with a beautiful golden retriever. Neal with who Bella believed to be Mozzie. Neal at the FBI office. Neal in cuffs. Neal smiling, Neal laughing. Neal wearing that stupid goofy look on his face that she loved so much.

"What are you looking at?" Neal asked sweetly as he leaned into her before realizing what she had in her hands. "You didn't!"

"Best way to get to know someone," Bella shrugged.

"Well, I guess I owe Auggie 20 dollars," Burke laughed, shaking his head. "He said that hackers were predictable. Find anything interesting on my phone, young lady?"

"Not yet, just looking at pictures," she replied. "Cute family."

"Izzy," Neal said as he took the phone from her hands. "He's my friend, you don't do this to friends."

"He's your friend, not mine," Bella replied as a matter-of-factly and yanked the phone out of Neal's hand and put it in her pocket. "But fine, I'll continue to dig once we're back home."

"Feel free, there's nothing incriminating on that phone," Peter replied, a smile on his face as he looked at Neal. "I like her."

"Good, because she's here to stay," Neal nodded as he took a sip of his wine.

"And she's going home," Bella smiled at Neal. "I still have a few things running at home that I want to check out and I want to give you two the opportunity to catch up without me." She got to her feet and looked at Neal when he took her hand. "Don't worry, Cole will walk me home," she said as she thumbed over her shoulder. "Have fun."

When Neal let go of her, she walked over to Cole and looped her arm through his. She couldn't wait to get out of there, Bella had a feeling that Burke was going to bring up Mingus, or her brother, or whatever and she just wanted to get out of dodge. Once she was outside, she let out a deep breath, and took a big gulp of air, the alcohol truly hitting her now. "Finally. I'm drunk!"

Cole let out a laugh as they started to walk the short walk towards her home. "Does it make any difference?"

"Unfortunately not," she sighed, only slightly unsteady on her feet. "I just wish I could just drink it all away."

"It is slightly unsettling, isn't it? Your partner being friends with a Suit."

"Yeah, I mean… where does the friend end and the Suit begins? You know… it's…" Bella looked up at him. "What were your teachings about law enforcement?"

"Teachings? We were raised to respect the men in blue, despite our activities, as long as we didn't get caught while we were doing said activities. Being friends or on first name basis with cops is a valuable thing."

"How so?"

"Well, we give them someone to arrest, they might do us a favor when we need it. Like when we get caught with our hand in the cookie jar," Cole laughed. "Nick believes that the relationship between your boy and the Suit is genuine."

New Orleans at night was beautiful. There were different kinds of lights everywhere, and you could hear live music come from every bar you'd pass. People laughing, smiling, having a good time, and of course, the obvious pickpockets. It was so easy to tell who was a pickpocket and the marks they picked out. "Yeah, I figured that myself."

"Which is likely the reason why the Suit lets it slide that you want to go after your family. He trusts Neal. Neal trusts you, so the Suit has no other choice but to trust you, too."

"Do you think I'm too set in my ways?" It was hot and sticky outside though, she couldn't wait to be home and have air conditioning.

Cole sucked in a breath then. "Like I said, I put emotional warfare on the list of things that your family likes to do. Nick agrees with me, he's better at reading people than I am and he and Myriam both studied psychology. You were taught to fear the authorities. They also likely told you your brother had died."

"He is dead. The Suits are lying, and as soon as I get home, I'm going to prove it. I've been running an algorithm to find any trace of a Grant Swan or a Grant Cullen."

"It's funny how you both picked the name Swan."

Bella huffed. "We both felt like ugly ducklings as children, and ugly ducklings grow into beautiful swans. It's not that far fetched."

"How could the Suits know this?"

She didn't have a quick answer for that. "If my brother is still alive, why hasn't he looked for me? W-why ask a Suit to find me and look out for me? And fucking unwillingly put me in WITSEC?"

Cole shrugged as they turned the last corner. "Maybe there's more going on than what you're currently dealing with and he wanted to protect you, as family should do."

"It's a lot of maybe's, and when it comes to family, I don't like to hear 'maybe'," Bella replied as she typed in her code, waved the fob key over the sensor and then unlocked her front door. "Thank you for bringing me home, Cole. I really appreciate it."

Cole smiled widely at her. "Of course, no lady should walk the streets of New Orleans by herself at night, no matter how badass they are."

"Good night, Cole," Bella laughed, shaking her head.

"Good night, Izzy."

She closed the door behind her and headed to her computer after snatching another bottle of wine on the way up and settled in her comfortable chair. She took a swig of the bottle and set it next to her as she moved her mouse to wake up her computer monitors. The screens flickered, and a bright light greeted her from all directions.

Bella had hoped her algorithm didn't come up with anything, that Mingus had been wrong and making up lies, but she couldn't say that anymore. In front of her there were several government documents of Grant Swan, a soldier in the US army, special forces. Documents about his time in the army and reports on how he went AWOL. Pictures of him and his unit, pictures of him and other soldiers from different units, one of them had a smiling Mingus on them as well with Grant having his arm around him.

Facial recognition came up with more images, from newspapers or snapshots people had posted on the internet. Grant had gone everywhere under different names, different specialties.

But she had not expected the next batch of pictures, they were from a private investigator and recently uploaded to his cloud. Pictures of Grant and Cole. Grant and this tall dude. Grant and Nick.

She knew she had to hack that PI now to see who hired him to make sure Grant was safe, but she felt betrayed.

Angry.

Hurt.


	15. Chapter 15

It was simply too much. This wasn't just getting shot at by family, this was everything she believed in that crumbled away from underneath her.

Brother? Not so dead.

Suits? Not so bad and actually truthful.

Believing she could trust the Michaels? Not so much.

Bella had led herself to New Orleans, but Neal kicked the door wide open to the Suits. Everything was one big fucking mess and she didn't know how to fix all of it. Well, she did, but that'd require giving up everything she'd grown to love since Uncle Garrett planted the good seeds in her brain.

Yeah, this was all Garrett's fault.

If it hadn't been for Garrett, she'd still be with her family, safe and dealing with her siblings. It hadn't been all that bad, apart from the bullying or getting isolated for a few days. If it hadn't been for Garrett, she wouldn't have met Neal. She wouldn't have had to deal with the Suits.

But she also wouldn't have met Neal.

She wouldn't have met Neal.

Bella was trying to anchor herself to the love she'd felt for him and how much she felt loved by him, but it wasn't working. She felt empty. Hollow.

She got herself to this point. This wasn't anyone's fault but hers. She'd fallen for the interesting life Garrett lead, leading her to believe that it was a better way of living. Bella could have said 'no', and remained with her family. Family was so important, she could see that with the Michaels too, why did she ever leave?

Bella took her phone out of her purse as she ran a hand over her face to wipe away the tears and dialed a number, not caring about hiding her ass.

"_Who is this?"_

"Daddy?"

"_Bella, why are you calling me? You know the protocol."_

"I want to come home."

"_You know the rules, Bella. You can't. You left and you're now in enemy's hands. You can't come back without compromising the entire family."_

Of course. That was also likely the reason why her family wanted her dead. She could compromise them. "I didn't tell anybody. Please."

"_You told the Michaels," Carlisle replied. "I know you're in New Orleans, Bella, Cole had a lot to say about you. How his family is going to help you to take down your own blood? For what? For following our own rules?"_

She felt the invisible dagger in her heart dig itself in even deeper. Cole was talking to her family? And of course it was wrong to go after her own family because she broke the rules, and she had to abide by them. "I-I'll tell them to stop." But Cole telling her family what was going on didn't make any sense, the Michaels said they didn't like her family after the last time.

"_You know that's not how it works, Bella. Or… is it Izzy now? Beautiful name."_

She felt as if she was going to be sick. "How?"

"_You're not the only one who can run facial recognition on government servers, we knew exactly when you were back in the States," _Carlisle replied, she could hear the smug smile on his face as she tried to keep her tears at bay._"As it turns out, you're not as special as you think you are. Or as we thought. Anyone can hack, for the right price."_

Bella knew that. "I am your daughter."

"_And Grant was my son, but he made the mistake of going back for you and got himself killed. Had he still been alive, he would still be with us. He wasn't weak like you. I taught you better than this, Bella. This begging is unbecoming."_

"What do I do?"

"_You just stay put. Emmett is on his way to New Orleans. Either you fix this problem that we're having on your own, or he will do it for you, do you understand?"_

Emmett was going to kill her if she didn't kill herself first. "Yes, daddy," her voice was barely a whisper as she disconnected the call.

Her life was over.

At least she didn't have to worry about loyalties, her not dead brother or Neal anymore. Because her father had been right; she was weak. She always had been and going to Uncle Garrett had only made things worse.

How did she become so weak? She never trusted anyone, not even her family, and she'd only started to trust one person, her uncle, which snowballed through her life and she was more open and willing to seek contact with others. Until she found out that all the others were colluding with her family. All but one.

Neal.

Neal was untainted. Despite his relationship with the feds, Neal was untainted. She needed to tell him and maybe he could give her some hope again. He'd help her get out of this.

But that would be terribly unfair. Neal didn't have anything to do with this and it was her fault that they met. No, he needed to stay out of this, because he'd get hurt or worse, and he didn't deserve that.

But, before Emmett would come for her, she was going to do one good thing. Neal was likely going to spend a few more hours with Peter, and she was going to try to fix things a little. She was unsure if Nick would have gone home after she and Cole left, but she was going to inform him about Cole's betrayal.

She still couldn't believe it, but if it was true, Nick needed to know, or at least Myriam needed to know.

Bella used the tunnel to get out of her house and only had to round a corner to get to the Michaels' home. She was still shaking, likely pale as a sheet, but they needed to know. "Who's home? Nick? Myriam?" she called out as she walked into the courtyard.

"We're all home," Cole replied as he looked over the balcony with a slight confused look on your face. "Bella, I just dropped you off home, what's wrong?"

"I need to speak with all of you," she replied. There wasn't one thing she needed to talk to the Michaels about. It were two things. Cole's potential betrayal and the fact that they knew her brother and didn't tell her. "Right now!" she demanded as she sat down on one of the couches. The hell with customs, with niceness. She didn't have anything to lose.

"Oh, that's adorable," Cole cooed as he followed Nick and Myriam off the stairs. "Don't you think, Nick?"

"Izzy, what's wrong?" Nick asked, there was a worried look on his face as he sat down opposite of her. "Are you alright?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "But that's alright. I've learned a few things after Cole dropped me off at home and I wish to discuss that with you."

"At this hour?"

"Yes," she replied. She didn't know when Emmett was going to arrive or how. She could have either a day or four hours left, it all depended on how he was going to travel to New Orleans from Las Vegas. "So, when I came home, I checked on my algorithm that I had started a couple of hours ago, looking for anything on Grant Swan or Grant Cullen to prove the Suit wrong."

"Oh? And?"

She pulled up the PI photos on her tablet. "Someone's either looking into you or my brother, but the Suit was right."

"Someone is always looking into us, but that's not your brother," Nick said as he looked at the photo. "That's Henry Taylor, one of our closest friends. He came to live next door when he was about… ten years old after being placed in a foster home. The Taylors adopted him when he was fifteen. He occasionally helps us out with cons, when he's not too busy, and we've asked him to come and help with your case."

"He'd be great as an inside man, he's suave, and knows how to get people to do what he wants," Myriam added. "And, on top of that, he's just an awesome guy."

"Don't lie to me," Bella almost begged. "That story sounds too good to be true."

"Henry did have his issues but he turned out alright. Even joined the army at some point. He's not your brother."

Bella thumbed back to the photo of Grant's unit and the Suit's unit in Afghanistan. "See that? That's Mingus, he's now an FBI agent, claiming that he worked with my brother in Afghanistan," she said as she pointed at Henry. "And his name was Grant Swan. There was a Grant Swan in Afghanistan at the same time this picture was taken. He asked Auggie to find me and look out for me before he went AWOL."

"Since when do you believe a word the Suit is saying?" Cole asked as he took her tablet and looked at the photos. "Change of heart?"

"Maybe."

"All this proves is that Henry once posed as Grant Swan. The Suit could still have made up that story," Nick pointed out. "But if you'd want confirmation, I'll ask Henry to come over tomorrow morning, will that suit you?"

She was convinced that their Henry was her brother, there was no way around it, although she'd have to admit that she had suffered from tunnel vision and that their explanation was plausible too. However, if they were right, she couldn't trust Mingus. And if she was right, then nothing would change, other than she'd have her brother back - a stranger - and he was friends with the Michaels.

Tomorrow was fine. She'd likely die not knowing. "Sure."

"Was that it?"

"No," she said curtly. "I received information that Cole is talking to Carlisle Cullen."

"What!" Cole squeaked.

"Who did you hear that from?" Myriam scratched her head. "Because that claim is ridiculous. We told you, we had a bone to pick with them, why would Cole talk to Carlisle Cullen? On top of that, you asked us to help you, why would we inform our mark?"

"Yeah, it's stupid, that's what I thought…" Bella said, unsure what to say about the matter, not wanting to reveal the source because that would even sound more ridiculous to the Michaels.

"She heard it straight from the horse's mouth," Nick said as he leaned in closer, his blue eyes studying Bella's face. "What made you call your father?"

"I don't know," Bella muttered.

"I believe you do. Nothing that's being said here will leave this house, but my guess is that you didn't want to wait until your boyfriend would come home because you want to leave him out of it."

"Everything is my fault, and I'm starting to realize that now. It's not bad luck. Everything that has happened has been set in motion by me," she eventually said. "Like a domino being pushed over," she motioned with her hand. "Everything collapses. I figured it'd be best if I'd just returned to my family because family is important and it was nice not to feel so much. And to know what to expect in life."

"To go back to being a loyal drone."

Bella nodded as she looked down at her hands as she played with her fingers. "I liked spending time with my uncle and learn his way of life, so much so that I turned my back on my family and left for France. I then met Neal. I got shot because nobody leaves the family and gets away with it, and that was a warning. Neal came with a Suit, his friend," she added to her story. "Suits are bad, law enforcement took my brother and he died in foster care. I then find out that the hacker Mingus is a Suit too, and his story is that my brother asked him to look after me, but how can that be when my brother is dead? Is he a bad Suit?" She pointed at her tablet. "Did he just give me a name to make up a story? Mingus put me in WITSEC without my consent, claiming to protect me, but my father knows that name. Everything is falling apart. Everything I knew, gone."

"And you panicked."

She nodded again. "Despite everything, everything the Cullens did was to keep me safe, even though they didn't quite love me like a daughter, always treating me as the odd one. And that's fine, every family has a black sheep and I was the reason Grant got killed, he was always stronger than I am, as a kid. I'm weak. And that's why I called my father, who reminded me that I broke our rules. I left the family, I'm compromised. They sent the Volturi after me because of this. And now Emmett is coming to New Orleans to do it himself, unless I do it myself."

"What?"

"Either he kills me, or I kill myself. After I'm done talking with you, I'm going to message Mingus for a meet and I'll tell him everything about my family so that the FBI can go after them," there was no emotion in her voice. "Don't worry, I'll still pay you guys."

Myriam moved over so that she was sitting next to Bella and pulled her into her arms. "You're going to be alright, Izzy," she said kindly as she gently rubbed her back. "You've hit rock bottom, and that's a very very scary place, but everything will work out fine. Ronon and Henry will intercept Emmett and they'll take care of him and you, you're going to call your boyfriend, have him join you here and you're going to stay in our guest room for the time being."

"I can't."

"You wanted us to help you. We're going to help you," Myriam insisted. "Neal will understand. Don't worry Izzy, we'll take care of you. Keep you safe. Text your boyfriend, tell him to pick up clothes for the both of you, and then I'm going to make you a nice herbal tea that will help you relax and you'll have a good night's sleep."

"I wanted to leave him out of this. He doesn't deserve my shit. He's untainted."

"He's yours and you're his," Myriam let go of Bella and smiled at her. "Neal will understand. Now, text him or I will do it for you."

"I destroyed my phone after calling Carlisle."

"Well, we don't have his number."

"I'll go and get him," Cole offered as he got to his feet. "He's likely still in the same bar with his Suit friend."

"Come on," Myriam said as she helped Bella to her feet. "I'm going to show you the guest room and bring you a nice cup of tea, a family recipe and it works like a charm," she said kindly, but it was obvious that there was anger bubbling underneath her skin. Another thing Bella was responsible for. "Don't try and fight me, young lady, it's time to put away your pride and let others help you."

"It's not pride."

"You're not alone," she said as she opened the door to the guest room that was on the ground floor. It was the size of a mini apartment with a sitting area, a bedroom and a shower. "Now, stay here. Neal will be here soon and I'll be back in a minute to bring you your tea."

~o.O.o~

Bella had drifted off in a nice sleep so quickly that she hadn't even noticed that Neal had joined her, but when she woke up, she felt his arms around her and he'd undressed her somewhat.

"Morning," Neal said softly as he pulled her closer and put his leg around her legs to keep her in bed. "Feeling better?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry is a stupid word. Don't be sorry," he let out a snort. "I understand why you're feeling that way, but Bella, none of this is your fault. I just wished you would have told me."

"I wanted to keep you out of this, because you could get hurt."

"I'm more hurt that you weren't open with me about what was going on in that beautiful head of yours."

"I'm —"

"No."

"So—"

"Bella, stop," Neal laughed as she turned around in his arms to look at him. "Our chosen career path isn't without any danger, that's a fact. Another fact is that you and I are in this together. You're not alone and you don't need to protect me," he lifted her chin with his index finger to make her look at him. "You keep telling Mozzie off for wanting to look out for me, but you're doing the same thing. Yes, the world is a scary place and you can't trust anyone, and that's okay. At least let me in completely and don't shut me out completely when life gets too scary."

"Okay."

"Let's sort this out together. One step at a time. Slow down."

"But I can't, Emmett is—"

"Emmett will have to deal with all of us to get to you. The Michaels have taken a liking to you, and they really want to help. They're good allies to have, and I think that once you let them in, they'll be great friends too."

"They'll keep coming."

"And that's why we're all going to work hard to stop that from happening. Cole told me you wanted to talk to Auggie about your family?"

She nodded as a response. "Quick fix."

"I think that you should do that. And then you're going to map out everyone who's allied themselves with your family and we'll go after them. One step at a time."

"Okay."

He kissed her softly. "Now, go take a shower and get dressed, we're having breakfast with the Michaels."

Bella felt significantly more like a normal person after her shower and clean clothes and Neal looked like as if he had all the sleep in the world, but she suspected he had barely any. He looked great though, in his jeans and his figure hugging shirt. Compared to him she looked like a sack of potatoes in a flowery dress with her damp hair in a braid over her shoulder.

"You look beautiful," he smiled at her and softly kissed her. "Are you ready to have some breakfast?"

"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "I'm still not sure if this is a good idea though…"

"Baby steps," he gently took her hand and kissed it. "Allow me to take care of you, and tell me everything you're worrying about so that I can try to make it better for you."

"I'm not weak," she said sharply.

"No, you're not," that smile of his could melt ice caps, it was so bright. "But right now, you need a little extra help and there's no shame into admitting that, which you did. So in fact, you're very strong," he kissed her again and took her to the courtyard where the table was set up for breakfast. "The Michaels employ staff," he whispered in her ear. "We could do that."

"No," she smiled at him. "I love to cook."

"As do I, but it was worth a try," he laughed. "Mornin'!" He greeted Cole, Nick and Myriam. "I don't know what you gave her last night, Myriam, but she was out like a light."

Myriam smiled widely. "I know my way around herbs, don't you worry. Come, sit, I have another tea for you today, Izzy. If all goes well, it'll calm your mind somewhat."

"You're not drugging me, are you?" Bella quipped as she sat down in the chair that Neal had pulled back for her. The table was decked out in all sorts of breakfast options, far too many for just the five of them. A whole orphanage could be fed from the spread, many times over. There were pancakes, waffles, toast, sandwiches already with toppings on them, beignets, cereals, and a lot more.

"Of course not," Myriam huffed. "This is all natural. Glad to know you've slept well. We made an executive decision last night after Neal arrived here, and you're not going back to your home until the threat against you is gone."

"And I don't get a say in that?"

"No," Neal shook his head. "Safety in numbers, right?"

"You see, we like you. The both of you. So you're officially adopted into our little family," Nick took a sip of his coffee. "And we also like to help people. While Cole, and Neal, assured us that your home is well secured, what if your adversaries do have a hacker up to snuff with your talents? They could easily get into your home without setting off any alarms and harm you."

She was overruled, despite her home being in the name of another alias. If the Cullens wanted to find her, they eventually would, no matter the name on the deed of the house.

"Now, tuck in," Nick added with a smile on his face. "Neal was also kind enough to pack your laptop, so when you have time, you're going to map out any associate of the Cullens that you may know of that deserve some trouble when they go down. We're going to have to have you take your full revenge on their entire system."

While they were having breakfast, Bella drank Myriam's herbal tea, and had a waffle and a pancake while listening to the conversation going on. It was nice and relaxing, no worrying or stress and she nearly jumped ten feet in the air when Ronon and Henry walked in laughing, being quite loud about their entrance too.

"Oh, food!" Ronon exclaimed and pulled up a chair, sat down and tucked into the stack of sandwiches before looking at Bella. "Hi! We haven't officially met, I'm Jason. I've been looking out for you two the last few days." Jason was huge. Built like a giant, he had this real warrior look down pat, long hair, scruff, big muscles. Cuts and bruises on his big hands. He was a scary dude, but she trusted Cole in knowing his friend and that he was harmless.

"Nice to meet you," Bella replied. "I"m Izzy."

"Yep, I know that."

"Hi, Henry Taylor," Henry introduced himself. He was almost as tall as Jason, slightly taller than Neal or Cole. Brown eyes, his hair all neatly cut, and his beard neatly trimmed. Now that Bella saw him in person, she could see that there was nothing about him that looked like a Cullen. Henry wasn't her brother. Mingus had lied.

"Izzy Sheppard," Bella replied, shaking his hand. "Good to meet you."

"She's the client," Jason grinned.

"Ohhhh," Henry sat down next to Jason and poured himself a coffee before looking at Myriam. "You never let me meet the clients."

"No, because that's usually need-to-know. Izzy is under our protection and will remain here with Neal until we've dealt with the issue," Myriam replied. "How did it go?"

"Yeah, great," Henry nodded as he took a sip of his coffee before reaching for the sugar pot and dunked a lot of sugar in his coffee. "Johnny wasn't too happy when we called though."

"What did you need Johnny for?"

Henry sheepishly looked at Jason before looking back at Myriam. "You told us to take care of him, so I did," he then quickly focused his attention to Bella. "So, for the Cullens to want you dead, you must have pissed them off greatly."

"You could say that," she muttered before realizing what Henry had said. "Emmett's dead?"

"Don't worry, nobody will ever find him, that's what we have Johnny for."

"He's a fixer. He gets shit that we need and has even more questionable contacts than these people," Jason nodded. "Great guy. Wasn't surprised we told him we had a body for him to dispose of."

"I offered to help," Henry shrugged. "All I got was a tirade of curse words in a thick Irish accent and a 'fuck off'. Shame though. Was fun to kill Emmett."

"There'll be no further killing," Myriam said sternly. "Got that? Izzy wants them to pay, but not with their lives because that's what they're doing to her."

"Yes ma'am," Henry and Jason chorused. "Sorry Izzy."


	16. Chapter 16

Bella was glad that nobody commented on how she thought that Henry might be Grant, her dead twin brother, because that was embarrassing. While she never believed in coincidences, it was just a coincidence that Henry used the name Grant Swan in Afghanistan/when he enlisted and it was likely he had meant his own sister to look out for, not Bella.

On top of that, he didn't look anything like the boy on the picture, while it was very obvious that the girl in the picture was a younger Bella.

She was sitting quietly in the courtyard, away from everyone else as she worked on her list of notable associates of the Cullens to give to Myriam when she had the brilliant idea to just double check to see if Henry might be Grant. Bella simply couldn't let it go. She took a picture of her picture, sent it to her computer and hacked into the FBI database to use their age progression algorithm. It was one of the tools she didn't have, and never needed.

Until now.

She let the program work in the background while she continued to make her list and didn't notice that Henry sat down next to her. "So, what did the Cullens do to you?"

Bella looked up and blinked at him. "Sorry?"

"Better question," Henry nodded. "Why do they want you dead?"

"Didn't Myriam tell you?"

He relaxed in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "She's the mastermind. If she has a job for me, like this one, she only tells me what's necessary. In this case, she asked if I wanted to help screw over the Cullens and I said yes," Henry replied with a shrug. "And it's not because of the money, hell, I don't care if I get paid for this. I have my own experiences with them that makes me want to do something about it."

"Why didn't you do something about them before?"

"I dunno, I wasn't ready, I guess," he let out a breath. "Or maybe I was, but while I'm extremely talented and all, I just never found a good team."

"You're very humble," Bella let out a snort. "And you're right, going up against the Cullens by yourself is a bad idea, but by them now knowing where I am, and sending Emmett, I'm going to talk to the FBI so the Cullens can be taken off the streets faster than any con we can come up with."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"I could ask you the same thing; what did the Cullens do to you? I mean, no offense, but I've been around them for quite a while and I've never seen you."

"As I said, I have my own experiences with them. They're not good people."

Bella nodded as she looked at her computer, the software had finished and the connection was severed, but she didn't dare to look at the results. Letting out a sigh, she maximized the window and was stunned to see the result. If she'd add a little bit of scruff and a better haircut… "I know who you are," she said in a low voice, making sure nobody else heard them and looked at Henry.

"Sorry?"

"I know your real name," she whispered. "I mean, I already thought I knew who you are, but everyone said I was crazy for thinking that because you never told them, did you? You never told the Michaels that you're Grant Cullen."

He briefly looked surprised before shaking his head, dismissing her claim. "That is crazy, the Cullens don't have a son called Grant."

"Not anymore, no. I was told he died in foster care after the cops swooped him up when a con went sideways. Wasn't even his fault, it was his sister who remained behind after getting stuck, and he went back and got her out, because the cops were bad people and they would hurt criminals, especially if you were a Cullen."

He paled then. "How do you know this?"

"My name isn't Izzy Shepard. Your friend Auggie Anderson helped me with that name," Bella said as she turned her laptop around, showing the aged up photo of her and her brother. "It's Bella Cullen, and I'm your sister."

"Wait…" He looked at her laptop, and the original picture and then at Bella before looking back at the picture. "That picture was taken a few days before I thought I'd saved you," he said remorseful as he looked at her with a sad expression on his face. "I've always felt so guilty that I was living a different life, a better one, while it should have been you in this life. You should have had my life."

"I was told you were dead, so finding you alive is pretty much a bonus," Bella smiled at him. "It also means that I'm not crazy and that Mingus can be trusted."

"Yeah, of course he can be trusted, why do you think you can't?"

"You were swept away by cops and I was later told you died," she replied as she turned her laptop back to her. "Naturally, I started to take the teachings more seriously and I always did my damnedest to make sure no one got caught and got a clean getaway. Law enforcement is bad. Really fucked with my head in this last month."

"How so?"

"You really don't get told anything, do you?"

"Nope," Henry. Grant. Henry whatever, replied with a smile on his face. "But I'm guessing that seeing as that's Neal Caffrey, you weren't particular a fan of his FBI friend," he jerked his head towards Neal. "How on Earth did you two meet? I mean, completely different worlds."

It was strange. This man was her twin brother, but she didn't really feel it. He had some knowledge of how the Cullens worked, but he was nine when he got taken away so he didn't experience most of it. "I was in Paris, he was in Paris…" Bella shrugged. "Even when Uncle Garrett told him who I was, he didn't run, because he could tell that I was different and not like a Cullen."

"Well, you do seem a lot more relaxed than any of our siblings," he replied. "Must be Uncle Garrett's doing."

Bella wasn't even sure if she'd been on his mind for years like he'd been on hers. But, then again, life had been different for him, and while Cole, Nick and Myriam had told her about his skill set, things simply were different. He was no longer a Cullen. Whereas she was, no matter how badly she tried to fight it. "Every summer he planted the idea in my head that I can do things differently, it finally stuck, I guess."

"So you left."

"So I left," she nodded. "They gave me about a year to return and then I got shot."

"Well, that's nice, isn't it? Your own family wanting to kill you?"

Bella looked at him. "Just like they lied about you being dead and using you as an example of how not to screw up because the pigs will get you and kill you, because if you get caught, you're dead and they're not going to help you out."

"True, but I wasn't aware of that," he agreed. "I was scared for a while because like you, I believed what the Cullens had taught me, and the Taylors didn't have it easy with me, until I met Cole. And Nick. Their parents. I realized I wasn't as defective as I thought and I eased up. Jason taught me martial arts and he taught me everything I know about guns."

"They weren't all lies."

"And yet, they sent Emmett to kill you."

"Yeah, because I left."

"No, it's because they have something to hide and they don't want you to find out. It's not about leaving, even Edward left for a year or so. He tracked me down in Afghanistan so I had to leave and I told Auggie to keep an eye on you."

Bella remembered that Edward was gone for quite some time, but she'd believed he was working a long con, that's what she was told. "He left? He wasn't doing a con?"

"No, he left," Henry was sure of it. "Edward told me that he didn't like the way that the family was dealing with shit, and tracked me down to see if I was okay as he had just found out that I wasn't dead."

"That doesn't sound like him."

"Well, he tried to kill me."

"Okay, that does sound like him," Bella agreed. "But why didn't he tell me?"

"Somehow I believe you weren't told anything that didn't have anything to do with the job."

"Of course I was told stuff, I had my teachings."

Henry visibly winced. "And I was raised after I was separated from you and with a new family. And instructed in other things."

"See, I don't know what the difference is."

"Love. Attention. Affection. Parents saying how proud they are of you for getting straight As in school," He replied without hesitation. "Social skills."

"My parents took care of me and my siblings and it was hard after you were gone, but we made it through."

"And yet, you left them and now they want you dead."

"Yeah, and that sucks but it's the rules."

"Family doesn't kill family, Bella. Stop thinking about your… teachings and stop thinking that the rules are law, because they're not. You're free," Henry told her, a hint of aggravation in his voice. "I took great pleasure in killing Emmett this morning and I will kill every single one of them if I have to even though Myriam doesn't want me to."

There was no way that Henry was that angry with the Cullens if he claimed he had had a great family he lived with after he was taken by the cops. He'd only been nine years old, too young to form a normal opinion on them.

There was also no way that Henry wanted to get rid of the Cullens for her, either. It seemed like he had put her and their family in the darkest corners of his memories, to be forgotten and to be replaced with new information. On top of that, she wasn't quite sure how it had impacted him to be away from her. She had used him as an example to do better. To be better.

"What aren't you telling me?" Bella asked, tilting her head as she studied Henry's face. "There's something you're not telling me."

"I don't know you, I don't have to tell you everything," Henry replied harshly as he got to his feet. "And I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell the Michaels or your boyfriend about who I truly am, because I stopped being Grant Cullen a long long time ago. We're related by blood, but you're not my sister."

"Got it."

"Finish that list. No more messing around. When you're done, you give the list to Myriam and then you'll talk to Auggie. Tell him I said hi and thank you," he instructed as he walked away to rejoin everyone else and Bella wasn't sure what to make of him. He was right, of course. Henry was a complete stranger, not her brother Grant. Henry just looked like him.

She could only be grateful that he was still alive. But Bella wasn't sure where that left her beliefs, either. His death shaped her to who she was now, and her ideals were already conflicting with Neal's ideals and ideas about life, and with the Michaels'.

Bella was going to worry about that later. She needed to finish the list and talk to Auggie to get the Cullens off the street and out of her hair as soon as possible before they'd hurt someone other than her. Someone like Neal, for example.

She was going to continue as if her brother was still dead. Move forward.

~o.O.o~

She was meeting Auggie in an office of the Voodoo museum, it was nice and secluded and in a controllable environment. Myriam was outside the door, and Neal was with Bella talking to Auggie who was recording everything on his recorder.

It felt like the ultimate betrayal. She was turning on her family, something she'd sworn not to do. If she'd been in trouble before, it was going to be worse now.

It felt as if every single thing she told Auggie was another stab in the heart. All the information he'd need individually, but also on jobs. That she'd been involved in as well, and she made sure that she included that, too. She was still a Cullen and nobody got left behind.

"You know, you haven't even asked for immunity," Auggie said as he stopped the recorder. "Why is that?"

"Well, seeing as you didn't offer, you didn't talk to your superiors yet," Bella replied with half a shrug. "And I usually was the one responsible that nobody got caught, so…"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll get that immunity. Might even have to put you through WITSEC for real this time."

"No," Bella shook her head. "Absolutely not. I love New Orleans and I will not relocate. I'm not going to run. And I don't particularly fancy leaving Neal."

"Could get you both in?"

"No," Bella and Neal chorused.

"Because while this is brilliant," Auggie said as he waved his recorder around. "Once this is all processed and your family is all picked up and all, you're going to have a target on your back, an even bigger one than you already have. You know I promised your brother to keep you safe."

"I know you did, and I'm pretty sure he'll agree that I'm a grown woman now, able to make my own decisions and ask for help of others if I need them," she countered. "Which is also why I didn't ask for immunity, because I did have a hand in shit."

"Fair enough," Auggie nodded. "So you have nothing on your parents?"

"Nothing that would stick. Maybe if you can find Grant, he might have something."

"The guy is a ghost," Auggie let out a snort. "I'll try to find him. So last chance to back out, are you sure you want to do this? Your family is going to spend a long time behind bars."

No, she didn't want to do this but they hadn't left her with any choice. "They want to play dirty? I'll play dirtier and break the rules we set as a family."

"You're absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes," Bella nodded. "Now, please stop asking before I chicken out and change my mind and fuck shit up even more."

"This isn't your fault, Bella," Neal gently rubbed her hand and smiled at her. "And I think you're very brave to do this, no matter how it all plays out."

"It's okay to be scared and I know you have friends who are helping you now, but if you want, I could have some agents—"

"Auggie," Bella said sternly. "I don't want to complicate my life even further."

Auggie let out a breath and nodded. "Fine. But seeing as you never use your phone, I want you to message me on your new handle if something's wrong, okay?"

"Fine." Yeah, she was going to make a new new handle to communicate with _Mingus_ so that he wouldn't be able to keep tabs on her. "Now what?"

"Now, I'm going back to New York and I'm going to hand this in to my supervisor and we're going to arrest the Cullens as quick as we can. You just stay out of trouble."

"I'm not going to do anything."

"Good," Auggie nodded. "I believe Agent Burke is staying in New Orleans for a bit longer though, he wants to catch up with you some more, Neal."

"Great," Neal smiled widely, not minding his friend's presence in New Orleans.

"I do want to tell you to be careful though, unless you do want some agents on you?"

"Hell no, thanks, both Bella and I will be fine," Neal said as he looked over to Bella who looked as if she couldn't wait to get out of the office. "I think Bella's tolerance for being in one room with the FBI is coming to an end."

"I figured," Auggie laughed. "Go. I'll find my own way."

~o.O.o~

She couldn't help but wanting to withdraw from everything and everyone, but seeing as the Michaels wouldn't allow her to go back to her house, Bella wandered around the Michaels home and eventually found access to the tunnels. It was rare to have tunnels or basements in New Orleans due to the water and soil, but the tunnels to her house were solid and well supported, and seeing as her house was behind the one of the Michaels, she figured this home had access to those tunnels too, which was great.

The tunnel was a bit damp, like expected, and some rats were there too, but she found her secure door with no problem and made her way inside her own house for some peace and quiet. Neal was with Peter, he was safe, and they wouldn't miss her if she'd just stay away for a couple of hours.

She got undressed as she ran her bath, put some essential oils in the water and hummed to herself as she got into the tub and relaxed. Bella was soaking for maybe an hour before getting out and finding something to wear. It was like she was wearing a new skin, fresh.

Her home was nice and quiet. She was alone, and it was familiar. No noise, no sounds from the outside. Just her and her thoughts, and it felt good to switch off for a while. To forget. Bella walked into her kitchen and grabbed one of the bottles of wine that she had, took a glass and headed to her computer to redistribute some of the money she'd acquired from the code she released in Paris.

She could also make a patch for it and send it off to the banks so they could patch the holes. Yeah, maybe that was a better idea. Bella had more than enough money to take care of her and Neal even years after her death so she didn't need more. She put a good portion of it in Neal's pencoin account and put the money she was going to pay the Michaels in Cole's account, at least the one that she was aware of.

Bella also sent her uncle Garrett an email saying everything was alright and taken care of and she was almost at the bottom of her bottle when the perimeter alarm went off. Checking the cameras, she sighed and switched off the alarm before making her way to her tunnel door and opened it.

"I'm drunk."

"Hi drunk. I'm Neal. And you ran off," Neal replied playfully and pulled her into his arms. "You had me worried."

"I'm okay, just wanted to take care of a few things… have some me-time."

"I understand," he kissed the top of her head. "Henry's out front and Jason's in the tunnels, both are keeping an eye out," he closed the door and pulled her back towards the patio. "They want us back in their home by midnight tonight. How about we go and watch a movie?"

"If you're going to make me watch Dirty Dancing, I'm so not in the mood."

"Nah, I was thinking more wine and maybe a true classic."

"Sounds like a plan."


	17. Chapter 17

The next day, the Michaels left for Portland, Maine with a few of their crew to have fun with some people on Bella's list, leaving her at the Michaels family home with Neal and Jason, the only familiar faces. It felt stupid to stay at the Michaels home because she no longer felt safe. Her home was more secure than the wide open spaces, even though they were well guarded by good friends of Nick.

They called themselves 'The Troubles', and like with the Michaels, a woman was in charge. Her name was Lucy and she mainly hung out in the courtyard while her men had all sides covered, and even the tunnel.

Neal kept himself entertained by trying to get away from the Troubles by sneaking past them and getting caught every single time. He found it a challenge. But with just her laptop to do damage with, Bella had started to get a little stir crazy and spent hours in the kitchen to cook food for everyone, making sure to relieve the kitchen of its contents so that maybe Jason could take her out into the city and go to a supermarket. She made homemade ice cream. Cookies. Dinner. Lunch.

The problem with the kitchen was that it was quite the professional kitchen and the pantry and the freezer were huge and well stocked. It was strange, because there usually weren't enough people around to empty the contents of the kitchen, it was almost as if the Michaels had stuffed the kitchen in case of emergencies. It made sense, but it was still freaky. Not even Bella was this prepared.

Two weeks later, the group returned after having taken down one of the people on Bella's list and Bella just wanted to go home. The FBI had taken her siblings into custody and frozen the family's assets and while she knew she wasn't safe, yet, she was getting cabin fever. It took her a while to get that at the Vineyard as there were many things to do, but being in a confined space and not surrounded by her own things, the loss of privacy… it didn't do wonders on her mental health or her relationship with Neal.

Neal was a total gem though, he tried to keep her entertained, taught her some new tricks, lifted her spirits but she just wanted out. There were simply too many hours in a day where she was conscious. Aside from cooking and maybe spend two hours of watching a movie with Neal, she also took care of a few names on the list with her laptop. Hack, falsify records and alert the authorities. Boring stuff. Easy stuff. Her mind not engaged.

Playing poker against a con-artist, and some of the Troubles was as if playing a game nobody ever could win as everyone was cheating. The first few times it was fun, but it started to become a competition and repetitive.

But she wanted to enjoy her own home.

She was well aware that she was acting like a spoiled rich kid right now. An ungrateful brat who didn't appreciate it that there were people helping her with her problems. She was very grateful, even though the people helping her weren't planned. Bella would have done it all on her own. But, she would have alienated Neal because she could get obsessive, she wouldn't have the nice people around her who liked her for who she was.

She was still fed up. This needed to end.

"We're really appreciative with your help but, with you guys back, is it okay for Bella and myself to go back to our own home? After all, we're connected by a tunnel and I'm sure Bella would give you the access codes to the doors for easy access," Neal said while they were enjoying the meal he and Bella whipped up in celebration of the Michaels returning.

Bella's heart swelled as she looked at Neal, beaming with pride. He did know her as well as he could and she didn't have to say anything, she'd been nervous about that.

"As much fun you guys are, we really want to have a little bit of freedom back," he added as he took a sip of his wine. "If you're worried about our safety or don't trust us not to leave our home, we have a guest room and Nathan and Lucy can stay in."

Myriam smiled at that. "Why them?"

"Don't trust Duke, Dwight is unable to make himself invisible because he's too big and Jordan is a cheater."

"What!" Jordan exclaimed loudly. "I do not cheat!"

"Yeah, you do," the rest of them nodded.

"And Nathan's most deadly enemy is words while Lucy and Bella have seemed to make some connection and seeing as that's very rare for Bella. Yeah. Nathan and Lucy will do just fine," Neal said with a straight face, causing Bella to let out a snort.

"Yeah, go," Myriam nodded. "But don't use the front door, we'll have someone in the building opposite of yours, and if there's anything wrong, use the tunnel to get here. To be honest, I was surprised to still find you here."

"You told us to stay put," Neal pointed out. "But we kinda had enough of that," he said with a nod. "And we both want in on the next job."

"You got it," Myriam smiled. "Go, have fun, take Lucy and Nathan."

~o.O.o~

After showing Nathan and Lucy their part of the house, Bella started making a groceries list for one of them to get for them if they wanted to be fed. She then put Neal in her desk chair and nestled in his lap as she waited for her computer to boot.

"What are we doing?" Neal asked playfully as he put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. "We just got home and one of the first things you do is go here."

"Bigger screens to see what they're doing with the Cullens," Bella sighed happily. "And I want to see if you're willing to forge a painting for us," she smiled at him. "There's this painting of Lorenzo Medici that's absolutely stunning and it would be perfect above our fireplace."

"Me?"

"You're better at that stuff, I would get the details almost right… it's gorgeous, Neal, I think you'll find it a challenge too."

He let out a snort. "I think I know what painting you're talking about," he opened the browser after her computer had booted and did an image search for it. "It's one of the most striking paintings there is, Lorenzo's features are well documented and his blue eyes seem to be looking at you."

She nodded as he found the image.

"He's gorgeous," Neal smiled. "But I can do better than that, I promise. I know exactly what we need above that fireplace."

"Really? You want to make an original Neal Caffrey like the other painting you did?"

Neal hummed for an answer. "Although when I'm done with it, you may want to hang it in a more private place…"

"Neal," Bella laughed.

"You better do what you wanted to do right now because you and I have a date with our bed that's long over due."

Bella bit her lip as she looked at him through her eye lashes. Yes, their current needs were more important than checking up on her relatives who were supposedly in prison. "Yeah," she put her arms around his neck and softly kissed him. "You're right, our own bed does sound really nice… so does our bath…"

~o.O.o~

There was no hope that morning when she woke when the sun came up through the half closed curtains. Neal was softly snoring away still, and she forced herself to stay in bed for longer as she was so comfortable, but eventually relented and made her way into the bathroom to get herself cleaned up and dressed before making breakfast and coffee for her love and their temporary house mates.

Bella started off making banana bread with oatmeal so that could go in the oven before she started on the waffles. She made a bit of waffle batter with pumpkin and cinnamon to make a few waffles with, and once they were in the waffle iron the smells were just fantastic in the kitchen. Add the coffee to that and she was in heaven.

She hopped on the kitchen counter and grabbed her mug of coffee before settling there to look out the window. There were cars passing by, pedestrians and cyclists. The occasional drunk tourist stumbling back to their hotel. Bella really loved her home, and hoped that she'd never had to leave New Orleans permanently - make New Orleans her home.

She liked the quiet times like these, it made her forget everything else that was going on, it made her feel as if she was back at the vineyard of Uncle Garrett. Peaceful. Ready to take on the rest of the day. Bella knew that he was in hiding right now, Liam had put him away securely, and she couldn't call him out of fear that his connection wasn't safe. Liam had assured her that Garrett was fine, though, so that was one worry off of her chest.

They'd been holed up in Bella's house for a few days now, basically trading the Michaels' house for hers, and she was itching to take a stroll through the Quarter. Maybe get a few canvasses or replace her baton that she left in the car in Paris. While they had plenty of items in the house to protect themselves, she always liked to carry her expendable baton everywhere, just in case, and she'd felt naked.

So that was the plan for today. Head into New Orleans. Maybe ditch her escort. While Lucy and Nathan were great at protecting people, they didn't have a lot of experience with the art of disappearing in the streets. At least Lucy didn't.

After breakfast, Bella grabbed her bag and waited for Lucy to be ready. She had said she wanted to have a girls day out with Lucy, and she would, in the beginning, have that. Retail therapy. Bella bought some nice artisan soaps at the boutique and then had lunch with Lucy on the waterfront. Excusing herself to use the restroom, Bella headed inside and left through the side door out of Lucy's sight and made sure to stay clear of cameras before hopping on one of the carts and went on her way.

She was happy when she acquired her baton and then went on a shopping spree in a comic store, finding figurines and comic posters to adorn her computer room even further. Bella then went to an antique bookstore and picked up a few books on art for Neal and some classic movies on VHS before going back to the Quarter and had a coffee at the waterfront, enjoying the weather and just watching the water. It was nice and peaceful.

"Izzy Sheppard?"

Bella looked up to see an older woman standing in front of her. She had red hair, dressed immaculately and she had this air of authority around her. But she wasn't law enforcement. It was entirely possible though, that she was part of the Volturi or one of their associates. Bella set down her cup of coffee on the table as her free hand slid into her bag to take hold of her baton. If needed, she'd hit this woman so hard she'd stars until the next century. "Who wants to know?"

The woman handed Bella her business card. "Sara Ellis, Insurance Investigator with Sterling Bosch. Can I sit with you for a moment?"

Bella looked at the card and slowly nodded as she thought of where she heard the name Sara before. And it was then that she knew. "Uh, sure? How did you find me?"

"Finding things is what I do, Miss Sheppard, finding people isn't that hard," Sara smiled as she sat down. "You came back into the country last month accompanied by this man," she said as she pulled up a photo of Neal on her phone and showed it to her. "I watched the CCTV, I know you know him."

"Yeah, that's Neal," Bella nodded.

"I'm trying to find him. Do you have any idea where he is? Where he might be? Any means of contacting him?"

"Why is an Insurance Investigator looking for my friend? What did he do?"

"Oh, I'm not looking for him in any official capacity," Sara replied.

"But you introduced yourself to me as an Insurance Investigator with Sterling Bosch," Bella said confused. "Isn't that you introducing yourself in official capacity?"

Sara's mouth almost fell open. "Force of habit."

"Right."

"Look, he's my friend. I'm worried about him, that's all. He's just so damn hard to get a hold of."

Bella reached for her coffee with a small smile on her face. "Ex-boyfriend?"

Sara sighed and nodded. "It's complicated. We ended things amicably but you know… friends with benefits and all… I mean… wouldn't you? He's a great guy!"

Bella shrugged. "Maybe there's a reason he didn't stay in touch with you. He leads a busy life, after all."

"Does he?"

"Yeah," Bella nodded as she took a sip of her coffee. "Neal told me he's into antiques. Mostly paintings."

"He just can't let it go, can he?" Sara muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "Anyway, can you tell him to call me?" she asked as she pointed at the card. "No matter where he is, I'm willing to travel."

"For what? A quick fuck?" Bella rolled her eyes at the woman as she finished her coffee and put money down on the table. "Doesn't sound like the Neal I know."

"Because he's likely not the Neal you know," Sara replied quickly. "He's a con artist. Suspected of many crimes but nothing really stuck. He did time in jail a while back for bond forgery. You can't trust him."

"And yet you want to see him again," Bella said thoughtfully, anger bubbling underneath her skin. "What are you? Some bad boy groupie? Is that your kink? Do bad boys turn you on?" When Sara remained quiet, Bella continued. "I know Neal as a compassionate, smart and thoughtful guy. His mind is sharp and he's extremely funny. Whenever he's around, I feel safe with him. I don't care that he's a con artist, I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. You, however, should be careful with this obsession of yours. You don't know who you put in harm's way with it."

Sara looked at her for a moment, realizing something. "You know who he truly is."

"Of course I know who he is, he trusts me enough to tell me the truth about himself. It's my job to protect his secret, and if you cared anything about him, you'd back the fuck off because you know damn well what he did and why he did it. If you are his friend, as you claim to be, you respect that."

"I can't."

Bella got to her feet as she looked at Sara. "Then I pity you."

"Imagine being in my shoes for a moment."

"I have."

"Then you know it's hard."

She sighed and tiredly pinched the bridge of her nose. "Miss Ellis, you really need to let him go. From what I understand is that you two weren't together when he did what he did and you have no reason to behave the way you're doing now. You'll only hurt yourself in the process. Hell, get some help, because this obsession isn't healthy. Like… at all." Bella made sure that her hand was still in her bag, firmly holding on to her baton. "Enjoy New Orleans, have a good day," she said as she walked away.

While Bella was extremely annoyed and angry with her boyfriend's ex, she had to keep her head. She needed to make absolutely sure that she wasn't being followed by Sara as she made her way back home, and from what Neal had told her about Sara; Sara was quite good at chasing people.

But Bella was better.

Bella understood obsession. Obsession with numbers or code wasn't bad, but people obsessing over other people? That could turn ugly. Fast. And it wasn't just Neal's life on the line. Someone with Sara's resources could fuck shit up for her. She could dig deeper, look passed the surface. Figure out who Bella was, who the Cullens were. The Volturi. No, Sara Ellis was a threat.

She eventually made it back home through the tunnel and she was greeted by the furious faces of Nathan, Lucy, Myriam and Nick. "I'm fine."

"You still have a giant fucking target on your back and you ditched Lucy?" Myriam said furiously. "For what?"

"Me time," Bella said as she dropped the bag of goodies on the couch and crossed her arms over each other. "And I came back safely. And I won't do it again, I promise."

"You keep saying that. You're a flight risk," Myriam said curtly. "Maybe I should just handcuff you to your bed."

"Won't work," Neal said amused as he walked into the room and saw the look on Bella's face. "You're pissed off."

"I am."

"But not with them."

"Nope," Bella shook her head. "While I am safe, I did identify a new threat to _you_, Neal. To us. To all of us, actually, because if this bitch starts to dig even further, we'll all be in danger of the remaining Volturi and associates of the Cullens. Not to mention old enemies and shit like that."

"Another one?"

"Oh yeah, and it's not even related to me, either. It's one of Neal's friends. She has a penchant for bad boys and tried to warn me about him," she said with a playful smile on her face and then looked at him as she took the business card out of her bag and walked over to Neal to hand it to him. "She wants you to call her."

"Ohh, ex-girlfriend?" Lucy piped up, intrigued.

"An ex who's an Insurance Investigator and uses company resources to hunt down her ex-boyfriend she's obsessed with and wants to get back with," Bella replied with a nod. "She found me because she watched the CCTV of our arrival at the airport and figured I was a friend of his."

"What?"

"Facial recognition and all that, I suppose," Bella kept her eyes on Neal, searching his face for answers but he looked half ashamed, half scared. "Imagine what she could do with her resources."

"I am," Neal said as he ran his hand over his face, knowing full well the mess that Sara could get them in, or even herself. "We can't con her, she'll see a con coming from miles away. She's determined enough to keep digging even without her resources at Sterling Bosch so getting her boss to fire her because of this isn't an option either. This is a disaster."

"Well, glad you're home safe," Nick said as he pushed himself off the chair he was sitting on and took Myriam's hand. "We'll leave you to it. Don't ditch your escort again."

"We're working on an elaborate plan to take down five of your list at the same time and might need your help later," Myriam smiled widely. "So don't leave."

"Not going anywhere," Bella shook her head and not before long, she and Neal were alone. "Sara's a bitch. She's an obsessed… junkie, jonesing for you."

"She wasn't like that, at all," Neal defended himself. "I swear."

"She's dangerous."

"I realize that. I'll call her. This isn't like her, at all."

"And what if she doesn't give up?"

Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't know. Maybe ask Mozzie to deal with her, hypnotize her or something."

Bella scoffed. "Yeah right."

"Let me call her and if things don't work out, we'll see what else we can do."

Neal called Sara, and Bella left him alone with her computer to do so, but she doubted that him talking to Sara would actually work. She headed into the kitchen where she found Lucy and Nathan just hanging out and started on dinner. And dessert. Today was a good day for dessert. Some sweet, boozy dessert.

"You need to stop escaping, girl," Lucy shook her head. "Making us look bad."

"I'm not going out again. You can have my keys, change locks or whatever, I'm not leaving this house, not even with one of you," she said as she took her phone to start a playlist and used bluetooth to route it so that Taylor Swift was blaring through the speakers in the kitchen and then started to ignore Lucy and Nathan who were sat at the kitchen island.

This shit was on her.

Cooking would definitely help.

She could erase Sara Ellis, just as easily as she did with the remnants of Neal's old life. Shitface could do that, despite Bella having recently retired Shitface, Shitface could make a comeback. Sara Ellis would feel the wrath of Bella Cullen for being a potential threat to her and the one she loved. Bella really hoped that Neal could talk Sara out of things this time, he was going to have to up his game this time but she was sort of confident. Neal was a smooth talker. He and Sara had a history and Bella was confident that he could use that.

Bella kept cooking and eventually Lucy and Nathan left, but Neal appeared in the same spot, just looking at what she was doing. The kitchen island slowly filling with goodies and it wasn't until Bella started yet another project was that she was stopped by Neal pulling her into his arms. "You don't need to feed an orphanage, beautiful," he whispered in her ear. "You've got nothing to worry about, Sara's backing off."

She sighed happily in his arms. "Really?"

"Yes," he smiled as he planted a kiss on her neck. "She's going to destroy all the information she's gathered on you, on me, and she's going to move on. For her own safety," he kissed her neck again. "And I'm also going to find someone who can keep an eye on her from a distance, to make sure that she backs off and stays that way."

"And if not?"

"I'd rather don't want to think about that, but for now, we have one less thing to worry about."


	18. Chapter 18

Bella hated living like this. The whole not being able to go anywhere because your family wanted you dead thing was terribly annoying and inconvenient. However, she powered through and made the best of things. It involved a lot of baking when she wasn't on her computer or doing something with Neal. She took solace in the fact that she was in her own home.

Cole, however, had challenged her to set up a thorough phishing expedition for one of the companies of one of the names on the list that she'd given the family to go after. The best way hacking into a company was always the customer service. She carefully crafted an email with a document and an attachment that they'd have to activate through macros in Powershell.

Bella had set up a Linux server where all the information would come to and where she and Cole had access to. Her trojan had been tested and none of the malware softwares she'd tested it with had picked it up. This is what she loved doing, carefully crafted, well-behaving, seemingly innocent trojan horses and find all the good stuff.

It was also a way to see how far she would be able to infiltrate the system, hopefully to the top and their IT department so she could get additional information about the company's security system and make something for Cole that would allow him to guide the rest of the crew safely through the building.

Bella knew that he was only trying to keep her busy and occupied. This was easy shit that he could easily have done himself, but she appreciated the gesture.

She also tested the company's firewall to see if she could breach on her own, but she definitely needed that trojan to do the work for her. Now, if only someone would be as stupid to open the email she'd sent.

_Mingus: 5h1tf4c3, I know you__'ve retired this handle but you're here? _

_5h1tf4c3: Yes._

_Mingus: Can you ask your puppy to call his friend in the suit?_

_5h1tf4c3: Yeah, sure, why?_

_Mingus: You__'ll hear it soon enough. You'll hear me soon enough._

_5h1tf4c3: I__'m not liking this._

_Mingus: Yeah, me neither. Get your man to call. My friend is respecting your no-phone rule._

Bella let out a grunt as she started up her phone software. "Neal!" She called out to him. "Can you come here for a sec?" She didn't have to wait long for him to come into the room and she peeked through the steel bars of the railing, her eyes on him as he came into the little loft where her computers were. Neal was only wearing sweatpants and his well-sculpted torso was covered in tiny splatters of paint. "Whatcha making?"

"That painting you want," Neal softly kissed her before grabbing the spare chair and sat down next to her. "What do you need me for? You okay?"

"I don't know," she sighed as she took his hand. "Mingus asked me to have you call Peter. He didn't want to tell me why, but yeah."

"You're concerned."

She nodded. "What if he's going to tell us that the Cullens have made bail? Or escaped? Or you know… Worse things."

"Well, we won't know until we call," he smiled at her. He understood her apprehension. Bella had mellowed out in the last few days after they had dealt with Sara, and while she was still anxious and frustrated, she'd been settling down, getting comfortable. Neal didn't like being in one place, either, but he made himself busy with art, if he weren't doing fun things with Bella.

Neal would rather be outside and enjoy New Orleans, with Bella, but until she was safe, it was going to have to wait. The whole situation with Sara possibly stirred up more shit, more danger, to everyone. It was just a matter of waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Maybe all of this is over," he mused.

Bella rolled her eyes at him before double checking the firewalls and proxies before hitting the keyboard to dial Peter's number.

"_Burke."_

"Hey Peter, it's me."

"_Hold on,"_ Peter's voice sounded before movement could be heard. _"Hey, we're both here, it's safe to talk."_

"_Yeah," _Auggie's voice sounded. _"It's always fun to use toys to blanket the area."_

"What's up?"

"_Is Izzy with you, Neal?"_

"Yeah, I'm here."

"_Okay, good. There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to," _Peter sighed, his voice sounding tired all of a sudden. _"A couple of days ago the NYPD did a welfare check on an apartment on behalf of a company as they hadn't heard from their star employee for a few weeks after returning from a job she had in New Orleans."_

"Sara?"

"_Yeah, she was re-offered the job in London but she never showed up there nor got on the flight, so they checked her home. They uh… found her, Neal. I'm so sorry, but she's dead."_

The look on Neal's face was heart breaking. Bella gently squeezed his hand for reassurance. "I never meant for her… Oh my god, what happened, Peter?"

"_No need to go into details, Neal. It's bad enough as it is. Auggie picked it up and we took the case out of NYPD's hands,_" Burke responded._"We also know who killed her. It was quite easy."_

"_Yeah, too easy,"_ Auggie added. _"The fingerprints were way too clean and the hair samples were almost degraded. Old. As if they came from a brush someone left behind. Not to mention, if this person would have killed Miss Ellis, they would have found a better way, a smoother way instead of this messy."_

"_We know who it's not and by knowing that, we can sort of make an estimated guess."_

"You two have been hanging around each other far too long," Bella said as she kept her eyes on Neal, who was still processing. "It's a simple answer. Who did it?"

"_If we had left this in NYPD's hands, Izzy Sheppard aka Bella Cullen even though we all know she hasn't left New Orleans."_

"What?!"

"_Sorry, but your Izzy persona is compromised, you need a new name. Your name was all over the place, looks like Sara was trying to destroy everything she still had to destroy to protect you and the Volturi will have that name now. You didn't buy your house under that name, did you?"_

"No, suit, I did not," Bella shot at Peter. "But I have been using my credit card to buy shit in town so I guess they'll know soon enough that I'm here. And depending on what kind of evidence Sara has, they might already be here."

"_This has gone on long enough,"_ Auggie said impatiently. _"You're getting FBI babysitters outside your home. What's your address?"_

"Fuck off, Mingus," Bella scowled. "Unless you want more people killed."

"_Well, it would be easier, you know, red shirts,"_ Auggie quipped. _"Look, we've been taking care of the Cullens and some of the Volturi across the entire world, and they're thinning out, but… this death wish of yours…"_

"It's not a fucking death wish anymore, Mingus, Sara died. How many more should die because of me? Keep those suits far away from me and keep doing what you do, we'll do our thing and we'll stay safe."

"_Neal?"_

"Uh, yeah," Neal snapped back to reality and ran a hand through his hair, but Bella knew that he was still trying to process what happened to Sara. Collateral damage. "She's right, Peter, It's not ideal, but there's no hiding from these guys. Even with FBI protection. We know the risks, if you do want to spend extra manpower on protecting people, make sure you and Moz are safe. And Elizabeth and the baby."

"_Will you be okay?"_

"Yes, Peter. Thank you for telling us," he took hold of the mouse and disconnected the call and let out a deep breath. "I could really use a hug right now."

Bella crawled into his lap and put her arms around him. "I am so sorry, Neal."

"No, I am. If it weren't for me… and her…"

"Hey, it's okay," she ran one of her hands through his hair, not moving from her spot. "We all have baggage and mine is particularly nasty. I'm sorry."

"I'll be fine," Neal assured her. "Just hold me for a bit longer."

"I'll hold you for as long as you want," she smiled. "I'm quite comfortable in your lap."

~o.O.o~

Bella realized that the company that the Michaels were going after next were one of the businesses connected to the Blacks. The CEO was Sam Uley and Bella had met him a few times, he was short tempered but highly motivated, climbed the ladder quite quickly and of course, being friends with the Blacks was always a good thing.

The company was La Push Medical, manufacturing pharmaceuticals and specializing in developing new drugs to help patients recover from trauma and also developing new medical tech to help soldiers in the field as well. She wasn't sure how, but it wasn't her area of expertise. Some of the files she found made it all look like a fairytale, as if it wasn't going to work, but the government seemed to be on board.

It simply looked too good to be true. But, from what she could tell, all documents were legal.

Cole was across from her on his own laptop as they were sitting in her courtyard. He needed a few hours away from his family, she gladly provided the space. It wasn't as if it was just her and Neal in her home now. Lucy and Nathan were still around, too. "Now the fun part starts," Cole grinned as he cracked his fingers.

Bella hummed. "You're going to create false documents?"

"Of course. Plant them on the server, and you know, call it in," he said carelessly. "This is one of the easiest jobs we've planned out. However, we also need to be able to get into the building to plant hard copies and other fun and embarrassing evidence, so could you check their security?"

"Are you kidding?" she grinned. "I love sifting through terabytes of data!" She happily took a sip of her drink and started the search. "So what else are you guys working on?"

"Well," Cole started. "Duke, Dwight and Jordan are in Canada. Nick and Myriam are out with Henry in Portland. John and Ann are scoping out another place and maybe cause some trouble and you and I are working on this," he added. "Was actually wondering if you'd allow Neal to do something too, with Ronon and Myka."

"Myka Morgan?"

"You know her?"

"No, but Neal knows her," Bella replied with a shrug. "She was on our list for assembling a crew." It'd do Neal good to work on something again. Outside. With his other skills. She knew that he was missing it and he'd be safe with Jason. And he needed another distraction to help him deal with Sara's death. Plus, a change of scenery would do him some good. "He doesn't need my permission," she let out a snort, shaking her head. "I think you should go and ask him."

"Ask me what?" Neal asked as he walked in and laughed at the sight before him. Bella and Cole had utilized every inch of the table with their laptops, USB drives, notepads and their drinks. The soda bottle was living dangerously on the edge of the table and so was the now empty plate that had held Bella's cookies.

"What?" Bella asked sheepishly. "What's so funny?"

"You two are such nerds, can't leave you alone for a moment, can we?" He put the plate on another chair and found an empty spot on the table. "You having fun?"

"Yes," Bella nodded. "Cole wants to ask you something."

"Oh?" Neal sat down next to Bella and looked at their friend. He liked it that Bella had someone to be this geeky with. Doing their computer stuff together, someone who understood what she was doing, because his own knowledge of computers was basic. Pedestrian. And while Bella had likened coding to art, he hardly saw the beauty in all the letters and numbers on the screen.

"Seeing as things have happened recently… we want to hit several people at the same time and I was wondering if you'd like to join Ronon and Myka Morgan in Texas on a little job."

Neal's face broke out in one of his famous sparkling smiles. His eyes sparkling. "Will it be safe though?"

"It's her they're after, not you. Besides, you'll be perfectly safe with Ronon if you're scared," Cole dared him with a playful smile on his face.

"Go on, it'll be fun," Bella smiled at him encouragingly. "A change of scenery. Bring back some artisan hot sauce."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Lucy and Nathan are here, and so is Cole, I won't be alone. Like I said, it'll be fun. Get out, have fun, do what you love most."

"I love doing you the most," he winked at her.

"Neal," she laughed.

"Alright," he softly kissed her. "I'm in. When do I get to leave, Cole?"

"Myka's coming over tonight to gather some stuff and then she and Ronon leave in the morning after breakfast," Cole replied as he was typing away on his laptop, only briefly looking up to see Neal's surprised look on his face. "What? We work fast. We started planning the moment after… they got to your friend. We wanted to hit a few people at the same time."

"Sounds like a plan, I'm in."

~o.O.o~

Myka was a force of nature, alright, and like Neal had said, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Flirting her ass off with Bella. Jason assured Bella many times that Neal would be safe while they were in Texas and right after breakfast, they left.

It was just her, Cole, Lucy and Nathan left at the Michaels' house, and their servants, of course but they remained at a distance, doing their jobs.

"Any luck on the security?"

"Of course," she smiled at Cole. "However, I'm not touching it."

"Why not?"

She let out a breath and showed Cole what she had found on the servers. "It's on its own network, which isn't surprising. What is, is that it's the prototype of the system that another company is working on right now. If I'd infiltrate that, it'd start adjusting to my exploits to take over to dismantle the cameras or have things not work and alert the human security about it. They wouldn't be able to trace me, or you, but the system learns and blocks. It sees the building as one big computer and any intrusion as a real virus. So even if a human would break in, it'd do it's best to keep them out or locking them up."

"Well shit."

"I know you don't want me along on this, so I can code you something to help you out."

"Who says I don't?" Cole smiled at her. "I'd like you to be on the job but I know that you can't. You need to stay here where it's safe. But if you can access the security system from here, you can be on this job, just remotely, we'll do all the legwork."

"Oh, yeah," Bella smiled widely at him. "I'd like that."

"Do you think we're good to go?"

"You're leaving too?"

"Yeah, the company is in Mobile, it's not that far away. Only two hours. I'll be back for dinner, because I have you backing me up."

"But…"

"Lucy's staying behind. I'm taking Nathan. You'll be fine. You'll be safe. There are more measures in place than we let on," he winked at her. "Don't worry, I trust you in getting me in and out safe."

"I uh… need two more hours to make sure everything is correct. Set things up and—"

"Alright, I'll still be home in time for dinner," Cole winked at her and handed her a waffle. "Go home, make us look good."

"Two hours," Bella took a bite off of her waffle and got to her feet as she looked at the empty chair where Neal had been sitting on. Safe Neal. Loving Neal. Her Neal. Perfectly sculpted Neal. Ugh, she needed to cut down on the calories. She placed the waffle back on the plate and smiled at him. "Thanks for breakfast, drive safely, okay?"

Her home felt strange without Neal in it, and it was stupid because it had only been less than an hour. She grabbed herself something to drink from the fridge and disappeared into her den, making sure that Cole wouldn't have a harder time than he would have in Mobile. Neal was going to be gone for a couple of days, and that sucked.

But, a few days away from each other would be a good thing, too. Ever since Paris they'd only been apart for a couple of hours a few times. She wasn't clingy. He wasn't clingy. This was going to be healthy for them. But it wouldn't stop her from worrying.

Neal knew what he was doing.

Neal was in safe hands with others.

Neal was going to be fine.

And so was Cole. Seeing as she was going to be responsible for his safety, she needed to be sure that all of her stuff was up to snuff. And it was, she just wanted to make sure before she'd send over everything to Cole.

She was going to plant the files onto the server and cloud once Cole was in the building, and then guide him to the file room, hoping that the building's blueprints would be the same still. Because outdated blueprints would be the absolute worst.

Bella hadn't felt this nervous for a very long time. Keeping herself safe during a job was one thing. Another one had been keeping her family safe during her job. But now someone she hadn't worked with before? Yeah, this was terrible. This was a terrible idea.

If she fucked up, she'd have Cole's brother breathing down her neck and likely everybody else too, she'd fuck up and Cole would get arrested or worse.

This was a bad, bad, bad idea.

She let out a deep breath and rolled her shoulders and neck before going over her code again. She had two hours. More, if Cole got stuck in traffic. Oh, that would be on her too, wouldn't it?

Bella hacked Cole's phone and watched where he was going before tracking him on the road, and the traffic around him. Her mind was all over the place. Focused, sometimes a little unfocused but mainly hyper aware.

"Darling, I haven't even left New Orleans and you're already spying on me?" Bella could hear Cole's voice coming through her computer. "Hacking my phone? Such a lousy one way street."

She huffed as she turned on the text to speech on his phone and texted him.

"I'm flattered, but I know my way to Mobile," Cole replied. "No need to track me and track the traffic around me. Everything's going to be alright and I'll arrive safely in Mobile for our job."

She didn't respond to that and continued to look over the code.

"I trust you. Don't be nervous, okay? It's an in and out job despite the tricky security system. Take a breath, take a long relaxing bath and I'll call you when I'm in Mobile and at the company. And damnit, stop tracking me, mom!"

"Yeah, mom!" Nathan echoed in the car.

~o.O.o~

She was Bella fucking Cullen. She was 5h1tf4ce. She had this.

"_We're here,"_ Cole said after Bella picked up the phone._"We have you both on our earpieces, now, what did you arrange for us?"_

"You're Cole Reese and Nathan Shaw, representatives of a foundation that aids the less fortunate and want to see if you can get a sponsorship from La Push Medical," Bella replied as she put her phone on speaker. "I sent both of you an email with more information. That's your in. Somewhere during the conversation you'll have with Daphne Vanderlaan, Cole will excuse himself and will head to the file room."

"_What about the security?"_

"If all goes well, security should be a breeze," Bella replied as she typed on her keyboard. "I don't actually have access to the cameras without alerting the security system, I could try to spoof one of the computers that do have normal access to it but it's going to be tricky."

"_That's okay, we're big boys."_

"I'll be here when you need me."

"_Yes, mom," _Cole and Nathan echoed, laughing. _"We're keeping an open line so you can listen in."_

"Thank you boys," Bella kept listening in and stayed with Cole after he excused himself from the meeting to direct him towards the file room.

"_Hey uh, mom?"_

"What is it with the mom thing all of a sudden?"

"_You're keeping an eye on us, take care of us… you're mom,"_ Cole grinned. _"Anyway, there's a slight problem. Need a code for the door and the visitor swipe card doesn't work."_

"Right, I can help you with that, but the security system will think something's wrong and might trigger because it's possible that the keypad has a biometric sensor. Without eyes on it…"

"_I'm aware of the risk, but we need to leave the physical copies in there to make the case against them airtight. Confidence, mom. Don't second guess yourself."_

Cole had sent her a picture of the keypad but it was still unclear if it was biometric."Okidoki," Bella let out a breath and looked through the files to get the code for the door. "Uhh, try 070297."

"_I'm in,"_ Cole's voice sounded and Bella winced when she saw the security system react to the code.

"Yeah, so, the system knows something's up. I think it was a —" There was static for a second followed by nothing. "Cole? Cole are you there?" Bella was going to give it two minutes before having to make the decision to either do something very stupid - hack the security system instead of tickling it, or alert the security guys by having Nathan pulling out of the meeting in search for Cole. Two minutes. Onehundredandtwenty seconds.

Breathe in, breathe out.

She kept looking at the timer on her phone, but it kept slowing down, the seconds were ticking away far too slow for her liking.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe in.

Breathe in.

No, wait, out.

Breathe out.

With only 30 seconds to go, she let out a breath of relief when she heard the connection getting picked back up. _"So I take it that there was no communication possible inside that room?"_

"You scared the shit out of me."

"_I'm fine. It's all put away where it's supposed to be, their filing system was quite easy. I'm going to get Nathan and get out of here."_

Bella listened in on the conversation that followed and let out a sigh of relief when she heard Cole and Nathan exit the building safely and walking towards the car. "Come back home safely, I'll have food ready when you're here."

"_What kind of food, ma?"_

Bella rolled her eyes and disconnected the call before grabbing her drink and headed to the kitchen to start cooking. "They made it out, Luce," Bella told her bodyguard who was sitting at the kitchen island, reading a book. "They'll be home in two hours."

"Great," Lucy said as she put her book down and rounded the counter with a smile on her face. "So, what are we cooking?"

"I dunno," Bella sighed as she leaned against the counter. "I'm thinking lasagna, with a tomato and cucumber salad as a side, but then again, my lasagna is always so luscious, so decadent… maybe we'll have to go with rice and steamed broccoli and steamed salmon or something."

"Why?"

"It's healthy."

"Fuck that, lasagna is better," Lucy huffed. "Especially yours. Hell, you don't even have to cook for us, we can order in or one of us can cook."

"But I want to. Cooking is my coping mechanism and I enjoy it."

"Alright,_ mom_."

"Enough with the mom already! That joke is getting very old right now!"

"Alright, alright," Lucy laughed, shaking her head. "I'll shut up and let you do your thing."

Neal called her a few hours later, telling her about their temporary digs in Texas, and what the plan was. She told him about her day and that was it. Nathan and Cole went to the Michaels' house, and Bella was alone with Lucy in her own house. A few days and nights without Neal would be fine.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18 was uploaded last Wednesday! This story is complete, there are 3 more chapters to come by the end of the year!**

**Warning: This chapter mentions being drugged and uh, manhandled.**

* * *

When Bella woke up, she wasn't in her own bed. In fact, she wasn't in her bed at all, but lying on a cold, concrete floor in a dark room in her pajamas. Her head felt like it was trying to split itself in two and something else hurt, but she couldn't quite put her finger to it. Finger. Hand. Her right hand.

It felt as if someone stepped on it, or if her hand got caught between the door, and then someone stepped on her fingers. The pain wasn't that bad, but Bella also felt slightly woozy so she must have been injected with some shit to numb the pain and knock her out.

Fucking Lucy. It wasn't hard to figure out that she had knocked her out and transported Bella to wherever she was. Bella's home had been locked before she went to bed and Lucy had been the only one there to open the door or pull shit like this. It was likely that whoever was behind all of this was paying Lucy more for her loyalty than the Michaels had done.

Unless Lucy was dead. Or taken like Bella, but betrayal was Bella's worst case scenario. In fact, she didn't know what happened until she'd know what happened.

All that she knew was that she was cold. Her head hurt, her hand and fingers hurt and she was in her pajamas in the dark. She smelled blood and urine. Sweat. Her hair was sticky and feeling like straw at the same time. Her throat felt raw.

Looking at her situation from the positive side, it was great that she decided not to sleep naked while Neal was out of town.

Bella sat up and took a deep breath to remain calm and become more aware of the situation she was in but was surprised that she wasn't tied up or something, but there wasn't anything in her immediate surroundings that would allow her to open the door that she saw now that she was sitting up and her eyes were adjusting to the darkness.

It had been a while since she was in a predicament like this. She usually kept herself out of this kind of shit and had only experienced this in her training, in her teachings, especially after her brother Grant died. She wanted to be the best at escaping, and she was, if she had her tablet on her, showing her the best exit route and to avoid cameras. Locked rooms were quite an experience that would take her a few hours to get out of, if that was possible.

It was also very likely that she was now in the custody of The Volturi, her family's friends or even mom and dad themselves, and seeing as the Volturi were sent after her, they likely knew about Bella's skills.

Which would also explain why they had broken every bone in her most dominant hand.

Bella slowly rose from her seated position and tried not to feel her feet as they felt as if she'd been walking around in sharp glass or millions of bricks of lego. What the hell? Regaining her balance somewhat Bella made her way over to the door where she saw a little bit of light shining through the creaks. "Hello?" Oh, she knew that she should be afraid. Or panicked. Or whatever, but she wasn't. This was a risk that came with the territory and, up until a few days ago, she didn't even mind dying to atone for her sins committed against the family.

And that thought was incredibly stupid. She shouldn't have to be punished for leaving her family in search of something else, that she either was away from them or with them, but not both. The target on her back was fine. Until it wasn't, and she handed them over to the FBI. To the Suits.

It's not like she'd wanted to do it, it's because she'd needed to do it. It had been a quick fix. A knee-jerk reaction for the family sending Emmett to take care of her. For making her fall into a big, fat hole she almost didn't make it out of if it hadn't been for Neal and the Michaels.

But still, her current predicament wasn't something she should fear. If she'd remain calm, keep her head and kept breathing, she'd come up with an idea of how to leave this place.

Her hand was really starting to annoy her though.

Bella heard some movement at what seemed to be the other end of the space this room was in, a door opening and closing. Quickly feeling the bolts of the door, she could tell that the door opened towards her, so there was no reason to try and rush the person coming as soon as the door opened. Smart.

She heard the door in the back open and close again. And again.

Footsteps heading her way.

Knowing that she couldn't rush the person opening the door - which was a stupid thing to think anyway, whoever had her were likely bulldozers, she slowly backed away. Her feet dragging across the floor until she felt the wall against her back. There were holes in her pajama top. She felt around her torso and realized that most of her top was gone, and that her sleeves were only barely holding on.

It explained why she was feeling cold.

Bella started to pat herself down, trying to feel how her pants were and wished that she hadn't. Her underwear was missing and she wasn't entirely sure if her pants were on the right way. Oh, she really wished that she hadn't.

The footsteps came closer, occasionally she could hear other doors open. Sounded like cells. Nobody was talking, just footsteps. Something looking like a flashlight, maybe. Gunshots at the end of the hall, people started yelling. Voices she didn't recognize. She wasn't going to call out again. Gunshots were usually a bad thing and while she could try to fight her way out, she wasn't faster than a bullet.

Bella remained still against the wall, her eyes on the door that she could no longer see aside from the light coming through the slits.

She could feel her heart skip a few beats when her door was kicked open and someone was shining into the room with their very bright flashlight.

"Found her!" the man made his way over to her and switched off his flashlight so he could take off his jacket for her. "Bella? My name is NCIS Special Agent Christopher LaSalle and I'm here to get you home."

"NCIS?"

"Yes, ma'am, my boss still had a favor open for your brother," Christopher said as he put his coat around her shoulders and lifted her into his arms. "He's upstairs shooting people."

"I don't have a brother," she let out a groan as she was lifted up. "Let go of me."

"You don't have a say in the matter, ma'am, I need to get you to safety."

Bella pushed against LaSalle's chest with her good arm and managed to roll out of his arms, grabbed LaSalle's gun from his holster before ungraciously falling on the concrete floor. She scrambled to her feet and tried not to think about how much they hurt and how she had hurt herself by getting free of the man. She managed to take the safety off the gun and pointed it at LaSalle. "Even if I did have a brother, he'd know better than to send a cop. Who the fuck are you!"

"Christopher LaSalle, you stole my ID," he put his hands up in a protective manner. "Woah, I'm friendly, don't shoot."

"I borrowed it and I returned it," she said, not removing the gun from him. "And you could have had that information from someone. Did you torture one of my friends for that information?"

"What? No!"

Bella startled when someone came up from behind her and swung around and nearly shot the person. "Neal?"

"Hey," Neal smiled at her. "Why won't you put the gun down?"

Wait a second, Neal was in Texas. She was hallucinating. Was she also hallucinating feeling like crap and cold? And her hand broken? "No. No wait… you're in Texas. You're not real."

"I promise you, I'm real, but you have to put down the gun, Bells," Neal pleaded with her, slowly coming towards her and motioning for LaSalle to stay away. "Henry and I came back as soon as Cole called. We've been looking for days."

"Days? Neal, I was asleep and I just woke up, it hasn't been days," she bit at him, waving her gun a little. "So try again. Because right now, I'm still thinking you're not Neal and just someone who's playing tricks on me."

"Okay," Neal nodded. "I'm going to get my phone out of my pocket and I'm going to call Liam. If I weren't myself, I wouldn't know about Liam, would I?"

"You would. He's quite known in our world."

"Yes, but he can validate that it's me. You trust him, don't you?"

Bella nodded as she quickly looked over her shoulder to see LaSalle's shadow leaning against the wall and then then focused back on Neal who had dialed a phone number and she could hear it through the speaker.

"_Yeah?"_

"Hey Liam, how are you doing?"

"_Neal! I'm good lad, how are you? How's Bella?"_

"We're good, Bella's a bit banged up," Neal replied as he looked at her. "Hear that? That's Liam and he called me Neal."

"Liam?"

"_Good to hear your voice, lass, I heard ya got yaself in a bit of trouble, was about to come to the US myself. It's a good thing your boy found ya."_

"He's Neal? My Neal?"

"_Yes lass, you can relax now. Let them take care of you."_

"Okay, good," she let out a breath and put the safety back on the gun before dropping it and stumbling a little. "Because I'm not feeling too hot," she admitted and Neal was fast enough to catch her.

"Thanks, Liam, will call you later," Neal said as he disconnected the call and lifted Bella into his arms. "You had me worried," he whispered and planted a kiss on her forehead. It wasn't as dark in the hallway as it was in all the cells that he and Christopher had passed, but from what he could tell was that she was in a rough shape.

"You teleported out of Texas?"

Neal let out a snort as he followed the NCIS agent through the hallway. "You were gone for a few days, sweetheart, Lucy took you to Carlisle and Esme. Took us a while to figure out where they took you, I'm sorry."

"Days?"

He started to walk up the stairs with Bella in his arms. "Listen, I know you don't like hospitals but there's an ambulance waiting for you when we get out of the building."

"It's not safe."

"It will be," Neal assured her. "After we learned about your disappearance, we called Peter and gave him the remainder of your second list and the Michaels called in favors to track down the remaining Volturi. There will be members of Peter's team outside your room at all times."

"No."

"You don't have a choice in the matter I'm afraid," Neal replied as he navigated a small corridor. "You look like shit and it would really make me happy if you'd just go to the hospital."

"Will you be there?"

"Of course, I'm not leaving your side ever again after what you've just been through."

Bella didn't like it, but she was really starting to feel like crap and Neal would be happy if she'd go to the hospital and have herself checked out. Maybe she'd figure out the confusion by allowing him to take her to the hospital. In a shiny ambulance. The lights were pretty. Her hand hurt. Her head hurt. Her throat was dry. She felt slightly warmer than she had felt before. And Neal smelled nice, he always smelled nice no matter what he did.

~o.O.o~

She was in the hospital under her new alias that Mingus had created for her. Emily Morgan, but she still wanted to have all of her files on her health with her, and off the hospital server. Of course, they wouldn't give it to her, so she made a mental note of hacking the hospital when she'd be home and erasing the records from the server anyway.

Her right hand was pretty much damaged and while the doctors did the best they could do, she couldn't help but overhear that some of the bones had shattered and cut into nerves and blood vessels. She had had surgery on her hand to remove as much fragments as possible and patch things up, but they weren't certain she'd ever regain full functionality over her right hand and fingers.

And that hurt.

Her job was all about being able to type fast, ten finger blind, her fingers gliding over the keys of the keyboard as if her life depended on it. Her hobby also required the use and strength of both hands, without it, she'd have to do things slower. Differently.

But it was too early to tell. She had a long road of recovery ahead when it came to her hand and fingers. Bella was going to fight for it.

Bella was relieved to hear that she wasn't sexually assaulted. They'd found some glue residue on her legs and torso and it was believed that she was being monitored while being drugged and tortured. Or maybe used to give her some shocks.

It was strange to hear the extend of all of her injuries, it was like a puzzle to hear, and also very unlike her father. He was a doctor, not someone who'd torture so much. But, then again, Bella left the family, she got Emmett killed and she talked to the FBI about her family and it resulted in everyone being arrested, except for Carlisle and Esme.

Until now.

There was now a very good reason to arrest them and lock them up forever.

In some ways it was a blessing that Carlisle had drugged her so badly and often that she didn't remember a thing of her ordeal, but it also made it a little bit difficult to come to terms with the fact that she went to sleep in one piece in her own bed and woke up hurt and confused in a completely different building.

They made her stay in the hospital for a week. A slow, agonizing week where they monitored her injuries, her vital signs and her mental state. Peter's agents only allowed Neal to come in, but she really needed to get home so she could be there for Neal. She rarely spoke to them, unlike Neal as they were his friends, because they were still Suits, but for now, she trusted Neal's judgment because she was feeling like crap.

Home was a better place. More entertainment.

Have her friends to talk to. Maybe talk to her brother about this, because if she had to believe Neal, her brother took her disappearance harder than anyone, and she was surprised by that, seeing as Grant had made it clear that while they were related by blood, they weren't siblings. She was also lead to believe that there was more to the story but Neal wouldn't tell her, so Bella hoped that Grant would.

And she was tired of hospital food.

To be fair, she was a terrible patient and she was released from the hospital only after signing a mountain of paperwork that she was aware that she shouldn't have left the hospital and that if anything would go wrong, the hospital wasn't liable.

She just wanted to go home.

"You know Peter's only agreeing to let you go home because your home is a fortress, right?" Neal said as he helped Bella get dressed into her own clothes. "There will be agents in front of the house."

Well shit, the Suits knew where she lived now. "There's no need."

"I knew you were going to say that," Neal laughed, shaking his head. "But the thing is, until everyone's put away safely, until all the trials are over and the FBI is sure that you're going to be safe, we're going to have to deal with them. It's that, or WITSEC."

Bella scrunched her nose. No, she wasn't going to have that happen. Not again, not willingly.

"Thought so. So, you're just going to have to deal with it. Nick and Cole agree with having the FBI outside your house and in the Quarter to make sure you're safe, seeing as their own supposedly security team has proven to be corruptible and have been let go."

"I liked Nathan."

"He feels so much guilt towards what happened to you. Lucy was his girlfriend and he didn't see it coming," Neal said as he helped her with her shoes. "But he agrees that his team shouldn't look after you anymore. Not that he thinks anyone else is compromised but he can't guarantee it."

"Well that's stupid," Bella sighed as she nearly hit Neal in the head with her cast as she moved. "Whoops."

"Careful," he replied playfully as he helped her to get off the bed. "Ready to go home?"

"Yes please! I can't wait to wash the hospital stink off of me."

She happily took a bath and kept her cast dry with some plastic wrap, into her comfortable clothes and Neal made her settle on the bed, which she didn't mind at all. Her home was nice and warm, her bed was comfortable and, better yet, Neal was with her. In bed. "Is it wrong that I'm feeling guilty for being in bed while I just got out of the hospital?"

"No," Neal shook his head. "You're right where you belong and if you feel you're up for visitors, then you're up for visitors."

"Maybe tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's fine," he agreed as he kissed the top of her head. "Or the day after, or the day after that… you need to take your time to heal."

"I know, but that's also what makes me feel guilty. The only things that need healing are my hands and my body. I-I admit that my brain has slowed down significantly too so maybe that's also something that Carlisle broke but I feel fine otherwise, I don't feel that I earned it."

"But you did. You don't need to be on high alert anymore. Everything's being taken care of. We were doing things your way, and when you disappeared, Henry and I made the decision to hand everything over to the FBI before anyone else would get hurt. What's important is that you're still alive and back with us," he gently squeezed her shoulder. "And allow me to take care of you."

"I am."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I helped you in and out of your clothes today," he ran his finger up and down her arm. "And I'm going to make one of your favorite meals later. But other than that… we're going to keep things simple. We could watch some mind numbing television, I mean… the hospital didn't have Netflix, but there's only so much daytime soap opera one can handle."

Bella chuckled. "Netflix sounds great."


	20. Chapter 20

"I killed Esme," Grant said as he took a sip of his beer. They were sitting in Bella's courtyard because he'd wanted to have a chat with her. He'd come clean towards the Michaels about his real name and Bella calling him 'Grant' no longer made him wince. "She was keeping up pretenses while Carlisle… uh, anyway, I tortured her for your location and then killed her."

She wasn't surprised to hear that. "Why?"

Grant shrugged. "Spur of the moment thing. Angry. For what they did to us. Especially you."

"I take it you did it before you contacted NCIS?"

"Of course, I made it look like an accident, too."

"Then I don't really see an issue, to be honest. She had it coming," Bella said coldly as she took a sip of her drink. "It'll make Carlisle feel alone for the rest of his life, he'll feel what it feels like to miss a part of you." She hated it that her family wanted to be so violent in their dealings with the rest of the family, but if Grant's story of a few weeks ago had been true; that Edward had 'left' for a year, why wasn't he dead yet? Was he that special?

"Exactly," Grant agreed. "And I don't feel guilty about it whatsoever. Nor contacting NCIS to help and get you.I know I have a friend in the FBI, I only trust a handful of them and they're not here."

Bella smirked. "And here I thought you loved the Suits."

"Hell no! Just Auggie and some others. NCIS agent Dwayne Pride and I go way back, he owed me a favor. He's an okay guy, and his team follows his orders so… they're good guys."

"You think I'm in trouble with them?"

"Nah, you're protected by the FBI. Neal's friend Peter made that abundantly clear over the phone, something about you being their star witness in a high profile case."

She winced.

"Itsy bitsy Bella, the Suits' star witness," Grant laughed. "Your worst nightmare!"

"Shut up."

He took a sip of his beer with a big smile on his face. "Narc."

"You need to stop, or I'll hit you over the head with this," she pointed to her cast. However, seeing as this was one of the best conversations she had with her brother since she realized he was her brother, she was worried. The look on his face kept switching between concerned, fun and regret. "Are you going to stick around in New Orleans? Or is this chat a goodbye chat?"

"I'm leaving for a bit," Grant admitted as he took another sip of his beer. "I have a few things to clean up for us and then hopefully I can come to live in New Orleans permanently again. Just some loose ends and all."

"You don't have to if you like what you're doing, traveling and stuff."

"I do, but I can do things that I like here in New Orleans, too. I'd love for us to truly reconnect, maybe I can introduce you to my adoptive parents, I'm sure you'll like them."

"Oh, no, that would be a bad idea," Bella laughed, shaking her head. "Just promise that you'll come back and that we will get to know each other better."

"And you promise to get better and allow others to take care of you. You don't always need to be in the driver's seat, you know."

"I'm trying!" She said defensively, taking another sip of her drink. "You know… it doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't?" Neal asked as he walked into the courtyard. "Him?"

"Ha!" Grant laughed, shaking his head.

"No. Well, yes, but that's okay," she smiled at Neal. "No, it doesn't make sense why they took me instead of straight up killing me as per the rules," Bella continued. "The whole thing doesn't make sense as they did kill Peter and Charlotte. They sent the Volturi after me because I left them," she looked at Grant. "You told me that Edward left and found you."

"He did."

"Then why was he allowed to return and why wasn't I? I mean, leaving is breaking the rules, and I accepted that but Edward's my brother. Not only did they send the Volturi after me, Emmett came after me as well. Shouldn't they have killed me after Lucy took me to them?"

Grant and Neal uncomfortably exchanged looks. "They did leave you to die, Bella. If we hadn't found you, you would have died a slow, agonizing death as they weren't planning on returning. They got what they needed," Grant eventually said. "To see you suffer."

"But why didn't they do that to Edward?"

"That's one of the reasons I'm leaving, to answer that question because that never sat right with me and I've had Cole do his hacking thing. He didn't come up with anything so I'm going to try to find every safe house and known house that belonged to the Cullens, even those who aren't on the FBI's radar, yet."

"No digital trail, huh? I could give you a list. I know most of their off grid houses, they're all under aliases."

"That'd work."

"Neal and I could help?" Bella suggested with an innocent look on her face.

"No!" Both Neal and Grant chorused. "Are you insane? You were released from the hospital only days ago!"

~o.O.o~

Bella was laying in Neal's arms in bed, drawing circles on his chest with her index finger. It had been a few days since Grant had left, and almost two weeks since she was out of the hospital. She hated it that she still felt so slow, but her body was still healing and Neal had to help her a lot. She was so lucky with him.

"How are you feeling?" Bella didn't stop paying attention to his chest as she looked up at him. "Like… you know… all that has happened lately?"

"Oh, I'm fine now that you're back," Neal let out a breath as he played with her hair. "I still don't regret making the call to have the authorities take care of the Cullen's network, while the idea was fun, we were way over our heads."

"Debatable."

"Still not giving up, huh?" he laughed. "We did a lot of damage, the Suits can do the rest, I mean, if they dig deep enough into that list they'll find enough stuff."

"I know… but… giving up control is hard. I'm working on it."

"Speaking of working on things… I think we both need a change once this is over. I mean, the trial against your family is about to start, but after that… we deserve something different."

Bella smiled. "Live like artists? Although…" she lifted up her hurt hand. "Not sure if that's going to happen for me."

"Early days," he kept playing with her hair. "You're still healing. Nerve damage takes months to heal, your bones a few weeks. And until your surgeons say otherwise, we'll expect a full recovery, deal?"

She should feel some pain in her hand, even though it was in a cast, and the only thing she could feel at the moment was the tip of her index finger, it felt cold. She couldn't quite move her fingers because they were neatly wrapped up and it felt like a log was attached to her arm. "What about a security firm? You did that before in Paris."

"One time."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be fun to do that again?"

"And how would our new friends like that idea?" Neal smiled at her. "Because between the two of us, we could make a place so secure, nobody would be able to get in or out."

"Well, they would… for the right price," Bella smirked. "We can always secure a building like you'd build a jenga tower… but take away one important piece, and the tower collapses."

"How about a quieter life?"

She smiled up at him. "You're going to miss the adrenaline. The puzzles."

"I won't, I've got you."

"We'll see," Bella mused as she slowly got up and kissed him. "I think you'll get bored, that's all."

"And what about you, huh?"

"I have my computer," she stuck her tongue out to him and left the bed to go and make coffee for them. That was the one thing she could still do one handedly. It sucked not having any feeling in her fingers and she couldn't wait to start physical therapy or something to try to get some use back.

"Naked coffee," Neal mused as he followed her. "I like it! Would you want to have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Yes please," she replied and picked up her phone from the counter as it was flashing with a new message. "Ugh, we need to get dressed. Auggie and Peter are coming by in 30 minutes. Something urgent."

"Oh, that doesn't sound good," Neal said worried. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know, Mingus left Shitface a message saying that they were stopping by and that it was urgent," Bella shrugged. "Not sure what could be so urgent unless they have more questions, but how could they be urgent? I mean, I could just call them. Normally he asks for me to call him."

"We'll see, at least there'll be coffee and pancakes waiting for them in the courtyard," Neal smiled at her as he lifted her into his arms and walked off to the bathroom with her. Bella had somewhat accepted the FBI's watchdogs outside the house, and he promised her that should someone needed to come in, it would be Peter or one of his team that Neal was acquainted with, but only as far as the courtyard. No further. Surprisingly, Bella had agreed with that.

For Auggie and Peter both making the trip out to New York to come by for a visit, urgent or not, something must have been wrong.

They had only anticipated Auggie and Peter to come and visit, and Bella tensed at the door when she saw that they brought friends. "Oh, hell no."

"You don't really get a choice in the matter," Peter replied as he gently pushed her aside to let everybody in. "Good to see you Bella, you're looking good."

"I'm still not too happy with you two in my house and you bring friends?"

"Relax," Auggie smiled widely. "We're the good guys!"

"That's debatable and you brought friends! To my house! Without telling me!"

"I know, I know," Auggie said as he felt for her arm and then moved up to her shoulder go gently squeeze it for reassurance. "If they break anything in your home, you can break them. But they need to be here and we'll tell you why in a second when we all sit down."

Bella sighed and nodded. "Come on in, the courtyard is right ahead, there's no steps if you keep walking straight," she eventually said, closing the door behind the group of people. She felt uncomfortable. She watched as Peter helped Auggie to sit down as the other two sat down as well. Neal was offering them coffee and beignets and Bella was leaning somewhat against the wall, her arms crossed over each other. "I'm not going to lie, but this is making me feel really uncomfortable."

"As it should," one of the other men said.

Knowing that Bella didn't like pleasantries at this point, Auggie decided to bite the bullet and just get out with it. "This is Harold Finch, he's the prosecutor in the case against your family, and—"

"Prosecutor? Auggie, I told you everything and you recorded it, what is a prosecutor doing in my home? Should I have my lawyer present?"

"Do you have a lawyer?"

"No."

"You don't need a lawyer, miss Cullen," Finch replied as a matter of factly. "We have collected enough evidence against your siblings and your father to put them away for a very long time, even without your testimony."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Your immunity has been approved, however, only if you testify at both trials in the flesh and go into WITSEC."

"And have everyone and their favourite monkey know where I live? So even after testifying I'll have a target on my back for the friends of the Cullens that I can't remember or don't know about. No. I just bought this house and I have no intention of leaving."

"We can say that you've lived in one of the homes that the Cullens own, it won't trace back to New Orleans. You're very cooperative, you can come back here. The only people who know where you truly live is Agent Burke's team, myself, and this man here, US Marshall John Santini. He's willing to work with you on your new identity, and Neal's, if he chooses to come with you."

"No."

"Normally someone in WITSEC will be moved away from their home, from their friends," Santini said. "However, having heard your story from Anderson, and Burke, and knowing the time you've been in New Orleans and who your neighbors are, I am willing to keep you here," he added. "I'll be here in New Orleans as your contact and Burke and Anderson are swapping New York for New Orleans."

"My dad knows I'm in New Orleans, he sent Emmett here to kill me," Bella replied as she looked at Neal, who had a passive look on his face. "What do you think about all this?"

"What's the alternative?"

"Neal, if you do this, you won't ever be able to contact Mozzie again," Peter reminded him. "I don't know who else you're still in contact with from your old life, but it'd be no more Mozzie."

"I'm not worried," Neal replied with a shrug. "You know Mozzie, he will never tell a soul."

"If you bend the rules for me because of my story, you can bend the rules for Neal. He deserves it," Bella said as she finally sat down. "Mozzie is important to Neal, and he may be… an acquired taste, if you want me to keep my new friends because I never had any, Neal should be able to get to keep his old friend who's this vault that nobody can crack but Neal."

Peter thought for a moment before looking at Santini. "Mozzie will find him anyway, no matter how deep we'll put Neal. He should be included in the deal."

Santini had a faint smile on his lips as he looked through the papers. "Well, I suppose that I have to remove Mr. Theodore Winters off the list of allowed contacts and replace it with that Mozzie…"

"Theordore is fine," Neal's face broke out in a huge smile. "Thank you."

"Another matter to consider is that you're not allowed to do anything that has to do with your current life, to minimize exposure. No more hacking, no more running cons. For Neal, no more jobs where people can see your face," Santini continued. "There'll be more restrictions for you than there will be for her."

"You're talking as if I already said yes," Bella said as she took a sip of her coffee. "As if Neal already said yes."

"Well," the prosecutor said as he retrieved a bundle of papers from his pocket. "You're being summoned by the judge for your testimony as a witness, going against that will not be a good thing as you'll be arrested and held in contempt of the court."

"Yeah, the whole WITSEC thing was being used as an incentive," Auggie grinned. "You have no choice, Bella."

"You're having way too much fun with this," Bella muttered, panic rising in her chest. "I'm not comfortable at all. I'm getting way too much law enforcement time lately. I don't think I can face them, the idea of being in a courtroom and seeing them, and cops and the jury… I can't. I-I'm sorry," she said as she got to her feet. "Have fun talking to each other but I need to get out," she pushed her chair to the side and quickly made her way out of the door into the tunnel.

Bella made her way into the Michaels' home and didn't even realize she was intruding when she walked to the nearest alcohol table and was met by stares from Nick, Myriam, Cole and what looked like John and a woman she hadn't met before. "Don't mind me," she said as she poured her drink and backed away. "I was never here, I'll return the glass later."

"That's alright, we have an open door policy, you know that," Nick said kindly as he looked at her. "No need to leave, are you alright?"

She stopped walking and nodded as she took a large gulp from her drink. "Currently, there are two suits, a prosecutor and a US Marshall with my con-artist boyfriend in my house right now and I know that sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it isn't."

"Sounds to me, you need a lawyer," John piped up from his seat, he was the fixer for the Michaels, much like she'd been for the Cullens, but he got his hands really dirty. The Irishman kept surprising her. "I am one," he added. "What? I'm not just a pretty face, y'know."

"I don't see why I need a lawyer, they want me to testify against my family in exchange for my immunity and witness protection - to which I don't agree on but they are somehow lenient and they'll allow me to stay where I am." Bella downed the rest of her glass before walking back to the alcohol table and poured herself another, her hand slightly shaking from the anxiety attack that she tried to hold back and from pouring with one hand. "It's funny how things can change so quickly. At first, I wasn't afraid of them. I'd happily have them kill me for breaking the rules. But the sheer thought of going into a courtroom with so many people in them and seeing my family…" she rambled before John interrupted her.

"You need a lawyer, lass," John nodded. "To talk to those assholes in your house right now and serve as a barrier. I'll happily do that for you."

"And you're going to need a doctor's note," Myriam replied before looking at the strange woman next to her. "And fortunately for you, Bella, we have a psychiatrist right here. We've spoken to her about you, and I think that if you have one or two conversations with her, she can have John arrange a different way of testifying for you, isn't that right, Camille?"

"That's the girl?" Camille said surprised as Myriam nodded. Camille got to her feet and approached Bella with an extended hand before realizing Bella was holding her glass and she couldn't use her other hand. "Hi, Bella, nice to finally meet you. My name is Camille. I met Nick and Myriam through various courses we went to together and I would be honored to help you."

"I'm not crazy, I don't need a shrink."

"Who said that only crazy people needed someone to talk to? No, Myriam's right, I can help John and you with arranging a different way to testify. If the sheer thought of going through that process is making you shake like a leaf as you are now, I'm afraid what it'll do when you actually set foot in that courtroom. You're not weak by accepting help."

Bella kept her eyes on Camille as she drank her liquid courage. The woman seemed to be telling the truth. She was truthful. She then looked to John, who she heard so many great things about - and not so great things - but she wasn't surprised that he had passed the bar. She was tired. She just wanted this to be all over. "Yeah, fine."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: For the guest who is wondering about my website, it hasn't gone anywhere! It's still there! Just google buggyfiction and you'll land on my website :)**

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Bella was surprised how well Neal handled the fact that she was ruining his life. He hadn't asked for all of this, and yet, he stuck with her. He claimed that it was alright, he had left his life before, and seeing as things would barely change for him now, he was content. It would also give him a life back, an identity nobody could poke holes in anymore. It'd make him safe.

Having John deal with all the crap surrounding her testimony and her and Neal's impending change in status gave her a lot of peace and quiet, less stress and anxiety in having to deal with. Bella hated being a bundle of anxiety. She absolutely hated it and told Camille this, too. It felt as if she could jump out of her skin at any time or burst out in tears at the same time.

It was arranged that she would do her testimony through a skype call from NCIS headquarters. It was secure and the briefing room was informal with large windows that would allow Bella to look around her and not feel locked up. And while she, or her situation, had anything to do with the Navy, Dwayne Pride wanted to help Henry Taylor's long lost sister - yet again, because he owed him that much.

Dwayne Pride also owned a bar and Neal, Bella and the Michaels went to the bar a few times so that Bella could get to know Pride better. If you were from New Orleans, you'd know Dwayne Pride, he was a local legend and he always stuck to his word. Bella realized that he had a big heart, he was very laid back and a great cook.

Bella knew this, because Pride invited her and Neal over to the station to get herself familiar there and he had cooked them a meal which they ate in the briefing room with his second in command Christopher LaSalle. Unlike Peter, Pride and LaSalle actually made her forget that they were Suits, too, just… not dressed in a Suit and wearing a different badge.

Grant checked in with her a few times, saying he was close to discovering something new, finding evidence of something he wouldn't say just yet. He wanted to be absolutely sure about this.

Bella visited the doctor the day before the trial and she needed to have more surgery on her hand as some bones hadn't set properly and some nerves weren't healing well so they wanted to check the blood flow and other stuff that she didn't fully understand and didn't particularly remembered because she was so busy with what was going to happen only a day later.

"_State your name for the record, please."_

"_Isabella Marie Cullen."_

"_And what's your relationship to the defendants?"_

"_I'm their baby sister."_

Bella had to explain the relationship to her siblings, how they worked, why she left and why she was testifying against them now. She had to stay available for the rest of the day and the rest of the week but she was only a call away from the NCIS building and a five minute walk. Liquid lunch was waiting for them at home.

"I am so proud of you," Neal said as he put his arms around her as soon as they stepped into their home. "How are you feeling?"

"Slightly less terrified but still very much so," Bella replied as she let out a breath. "I'm doing the right thing, right?"

"Yes. You're solving this peacefully, not without any bloodshed on your part. That makes you better than them. You're helping them to get what they deserve," he kissed the top of her head. "What would you like dinner?"

"Surprise me," she smiled up at him. "Anything I can do for you?"

"You can keep me company," he lifted her into his arms and walked with her to the kitchen before sitting her down in one of the chairs at the bar. He poured her a drink before looking into the fridge to look what to make for food. "Roasted chicken with roasted vegetables?"

~o.O.o~

It took two weeks for the trial against her siblings to be concluded and them sentenced properly, and Bella felt a lot lighter. For a week, she was free to do whatever, her father's trial wasn't until next week. And she wanted to have some fun. However, now that she was free, she could have another surgery on her hand that they had wanted to do two weeks before but she couldn't.

Luckily, she didn't have to stay, but she hated feeling miserable and out of place. But she wasn't going to show anyone that. It was normal to feel like shit after being knocked out and she had planned a romantic donkey pulled cart ride through New Orleans for her and Neal, followed by dinner at a fancy place that he'd appreciate.

Bella loved the look of surprise on his face. "I get the feeling I don't tell you enough that I really appreciate you and how much I love you," she said as they were walking home in the darkness. Music filling the streets, people laughing, smelling of alcohol. "You're handling all of this so well, and you don't have to."

"I love you," Neal replied, a bright smile on his face. "Why wouldn't I stand right next to you while you go through all of this? We're both going through this and once this is all over, you and I will both have new lives, in a gorgeous city with friends. No more looking over your shoulder, and you can finally start living. I can't wait to see what will become of you without your family holding you down. Living without fear."

"What if you don't like me then?"

"Ha, as if," he barked out a laugh. "I do have to admit, you've changed my life in so many ways and I never thought I could change, but you made it so easy and natural."

"Nah, you had it in you," Bella smiled at him and then stopped in him front of TrueTone, the bar belonging to NCIS agent Dwayne Pride. "I have another surprise for you. Right in there," she thumbed over her shoulder towards the bar. "Are you ready for it?"

"What did you do?" Neal asked suspiciously as he allowed himself to be pulled towards the bar.

"I arranged another surprise," she said happily. "And I think you'll like it. It's long over due," she opened the door and pointed Neal towards one of the corners as she kissed his cheek. "Have fun!"

He looked at her confused before looking at where she was pointing at, and couldn't believe his eyes. "Moz?" Neal laughed and hugged his friend. "You're here!"

"Neal!" Mozzie said surprised. "I received an invitation from Shitface, expecting her to show up, but you're here!" He then pulled Neal closer. "Did you know that there are cops in this bar?" He said in a hushed voice. "I counted at least three!"

"Yes," Neal laughed as he pulled his friend down to sit. "How have you been, Moz?"

Bella sat down at the bar and smiled at Jimmy. He was Pride's half brother and taking care of the bar with him. "Could you send Neal and his friend a glass of wine?"

"I'll happily pour you two glasses, Bella, but you'll have to take them yourself," she wanted to say something but he put his hand up to shut her up. "You can walk to them twice, I know you're a one armed bandit for the moment."

Bella nodded as she watched Jimmy pour the two glasses and one by one, brought the glass over to Neal and his friend. The short, bespectacled, bald guy who looked like he was a conspiracy nut. Well, he was. And he looked the part.

"What is this wine?" Mozzie said as he sniffed it.

"Moz," Neal playfully warned him. "You're in a bar, you can't expect top shelf."

"No, this smells horrendous. Get me another one," Mozzie said as he put the glass down. "This is how establishments like these make money, you know, cheap booze. It's bad enough we're meeting in a cop bar. Shitface has one strange sense of humor."

"You're such a snob," Bella rolled her eyes at Mozzie. "If you want something else, there's the bar," she sat down in Neal's lap and extended her left hand to Mozzie. "Hi, I'm Shitface. Well, not for much longer, but I'm her nonetheless," she added before kissing Neal on the cheek. "Happy with your present?"

"Very," he whispered in her ear. "But play nice."

"I am playing nice."

"You're Shitface? I thought you'd be older!"

"Keep your voice down, Moz," Neal said as he took a sip of his wine. "And there's nothing wrong with this wine," he added as he put his glass down and wrapped his arm around her. "This is Izzy."

"And you're together? You're the person that changed Neal?"

"No? He's perfect, he doesn't need to change, but he wanted to," Bella replied, trying not to get agitated. This was for Neal. She wanted to place nice.

"We're going to retire anyway," Neal shrugged.

"You're what?" Mozzie said shocked. "Neal, you can't retire. You're far too talented to retire."

Bella looked around, the bar was buzzing and there would be no chance of people actually overhearing them talking due to the music. "You can tell him," she told Neal before kissing him again and got off his lap. "I'm going to sit at the bar."

She watched from a distance as she nursed her iced tea. It was good that Mozzie was allowed to stay in Neal's life after all of this was over. It just didn't mean she had to like him. Then again, maybe they'd gone off on the wrong foot and the man would grow on her eventually. Neal already told her many times that the man was an acquired taste, but that he had also done a lot for Neal, so she was going to have to be nice.

And, for now, from a distance, because she wanted to take the shotgun that Jimmy had behind the bar and shoot Neal's friend.

"Hey, Izzy, if you're going to loiter," Jimmy said as he pushed a tray of drinks in front of her. "At least make yourself useful and take this to that table over there."

She eyed Jimmy for a moment and then the tray before looking back at him. "I can't carry that, not without two hands!"

"Then bring it over, one glass at a time," he winked at her. "I'm short staffed at the moment, just do that one table? You'll get a free glass of cola from me?"

"Why do I get the feeling you're trying to teach me something?"

"I might be, but I might just be short staffed," he said as he pointed at the table again. "I don't want you to look all bored at my bar while your boyfriend is catching up with a friend."

Bella let out a breath and hopped off the chair before she started to walk back and forth to give that table their glasses. In theory, she could lift the tray with her left hand with no problem. She'd been a waitress before, plus her teachings had her balancing things all the time, but she had her other hand to catch herself when falling or to do a better job at lifting things. Bella was right handed, and she still couldn't use her right hand. However, she was now feeling a little banged up in her cast so maybe something was healing.

She helped Jimmy for an hour or so, giving Neal plenty of time to explain things to Mozzie, and she had kept an eye on Mozzie's face. His surprise, his worry, his concern and his sympathy. But most of all, his understanding.

However, after being out for a couple of hours with Neal and making sure he had a great time, Bella was finding it harder to ignore the feeling that she needed a nap. Or sleep. Whichever came first. She sat down next to Neal and gently took his hand. "Having fun?"

"Yes," he smiled at her. "Why?"

"Then I'm going to send Cole a message to come and pick me up. You can catch up with your friend for a bit longer, I just don't want him inside our home."

"Or, Moz and I can continue to catch up in the morning and you and I are going home together."

"Oh, no, by all means, take him," Mozzie waved his hands in no particular direction. "I have all the time in the world and I'm going to enjoy New Orleans, perhaps search for a place with better wine and music. Call me," he said as he rose to his feet with a smile. "Nice meeting you, Izzy and thank you for the trust."

~o.O.o~

Neal went out with Mozzie the next day, leaving Bella alone in her home. While it was a lot safer now that the FBI had taken care of some of the immediate threat, it was still strange to be alone in her house. It was far too big to be alone and that was a strange realization as she bought this home with the sole purpose of being alone.

She had loud music playing throughout the house and she decided to do some chores. The laundry. Some cleaning. She'd do what she could. Bella often wondered what she was going to do after her father's trial was over and she and Neal would be in WITSEC.

One of the terms was that she couldn't access her money anymore, so it was a good thing that she'd set up pencoin accounts for her and Neal and she was slowly moving most of her money there. Not that the government knew about those accounts, but this was just in case she had to hand over all of her aliases.

Which was likely.

They didn't have to do things anymore for the rest of their lives. Didn't have to work, and just have fun with life, but Bella knew that both she and Neal were going to get restless. Maybe get in a little bit of trouble. Neal wanted to live like artists, and that wasn't so bad. New Orleans and art would go really really well.

She didn't know what to expect from a normal life and wasn't sure if that would ever happen. She and Neal could always continue with their shenanigans, especially in aid of the Michaels should they need it, by creating new aliases and just keep going.

At least Neal could. If Bella didn't get full functionality of her hand back, hacking was going to be out of the question because she'd need speed. Developing cool code and apps was something she could do in her own time though. So maybe not a lot would change.

Bella was just in the middle of yelling along with some Green Day when the bell of the tunnel door rang. Looking at the CCTV, she saw it was Grant. She turned down her music and buzzed him in. "Hey!" she called out to him. "I'm in the kitchen!"

"Of course you are, Grant called back and soon emerged around the corner with something in his hands. "Where's Neal?"

"Out, why?"

"I found something and I already gave the original to John to hand in to the FBI, but I asked him if I could tell you first," Grant said as he sat down at the kitchen counter. "But I think you want Neal around when I do tell you."

"He's out with a friend," she said as she turned on the kettle. "Is it important? Something that I need to know?"

"I'd like to think so, yes. That's why I handed it over to John, too."

She let out a breath and nodded. "You were gone for weeks," she said as she shot Neal a message to come home and bring Mozzie but leave him in the courtyard.

"I was," Grant nodded. "Was fun. Cleaned up along the way. Found some skeletons that Carlisle likely intended to kept buried, so I gave those to John as well, however… this," he said as he pat the file in front of him, "is going to blow your mind."

"Then why wait until Neal gets here?"

"You're impatient," Grant laughed. "We wait until Neal gets here."

She shrugged as she took out her tea kettle and put a bag of tea in it while still waiting for the water to boil. She put the sugar on the counter and a few mugs. Turning around, Bella took a large plastic container from the counter behind her and put it next to the tea with a big smile on her face. "Cookies. Made them myself," she said proudly. "And the help of my kitchenaid, of course."

Grant smiled and opened the container and happily took a cookie out of it. "Nice, thanks!" Grant took a bite off the cookie and spoke while he chewed. "So, any ideas of what you're going to do after putting dear old Carlisle away for good? WITSEC, wasn't it? And you're allowed to say here."

Bella nodded. "You're staying as well."

"New Orleans is my home, if I'm not away on assignment, I'm here, I already told you that."

"I know, but it's good to hear that again," Bella smiled at him. "My whole world fell apart and continues to be a bit wobbly, it's nice if some things stay the same, you know. At least just a little bit."

Grant breathed out and nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. Especially after everything. You chose your own family now, you're making friends. You're building your own life, you have the control."

"And you belong in my life."

"Don't worry," Grant smiled at her. "I'm never going to give you up, let you down or run around and desert you."

"You're rick rolling me now? Seriously?" Bella laughed as she poured the hot water into the tea pot. "Wow."

"I'm your brother, I have 15 years of trolling to catch up with, so you better be prepared, because I'm so going to put plastic wrap all over your toilet seat when you're not looking."


	22. Chapter 22

Neal had left Mozzie at a museum before rushing home. It was strange for Bella to send him a message to come home, but when he saw who was sitting at the kitchen counter, basically eating all the cookies Bella had made. "Hungry?"

"These are just too good, man," Grant smiled at him. "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah, of course," he replied as he kissed Bella. "When my girl calls, I drop everything. Well, nearly everything," he added with a smile. "Is your this man bothering you, ma'am?"

"Yes," she said curtly as she looked at her brother. "He wants to tell me something but refused to do so without you present and I have no idea why."

"Because I took this news okay-ish, but seeing as you spent your time only with the Cullens, this might hit you a little harder," Grant replied as he played with the folder in front of him. "I thought it'd be better if Neal would be here, someone familiar."

"Okay, now you're scaring me," Bella said as she reached over the counter to get the folder and opened it. In it were news clippings that were 25 years old mentioning abducted twins, a boy and a girl, who had been in an accident with their parents near Seattle. Parents were found dead on the scene but there was no sign of the twins. The police only knew about the twins because of their grandmother insisting that they had only been born two weeks prior to the crash.

The parents were two high ranking officials in the little town of Forks, Washington and they were buried there. Honored.

There were also birth certificates of those twins. Geoffrey and Helen Swan. Another news clipping was an update after 10 years. And 20 years, with the decision of law enforcement putting the case to rest and declaring the twins dead as there was no living relative of those twins alive, they'd all died of natural causes or accidents.

She eyed Grant. "What's this?"

"Keep digging," he replied. "You haven't gotten to the worst part yet."

"Worst?" She wasn't even sure why Grant was showing her these clippings, but kept on looking at the copies.

Neal kept quiet. If the stories Mozzie had told him were true, Esme Cullen had a hysterectomy after the birth of her youngest, Edward. If that was true, it was a fair possibility that these news clippings were about Bella and Grant. While he suspected Grant would be alright with this news, seeing as he'd been away from the Cullens for a long time and was raised by loving parents, he believed that Bella would take this discovery differently. Her life was already crumbling underneath her feet, this would just shatter it entirely.

But, it could also lit a fire inside of her to make sure that Carlisle wouldn't see the sun ever again.

Hospital records of Esme undergoing a hysterectomy five years before Bella was born. Then birth certificates for Isabella Marie Cullen and Grant Charles Cullen, but even though these were copies, she saw that they were fake. It was so easy to spot that they were fake.

"Okay, so I get the fake birth certificates," Bella said as she looked at Grant. "But why is this of any importance? Why did they keep this?"

"Come on, Bella, you're smart, this isn't rocket science."

She let out a snort. "You think that the twins from these clippings is us? Grant, the birth dates, and the year, don't match."

"Obviously. The first thing about any kidnapping or changing of the facts," Grant replied shaking his head. "Change the dates, make it look real, some razzle dazzle and Bob's your uncle. Or, in this case, Carlisle is your daddy. It's only a couple of months difference."

"I don't believe this."

"Which is why I came back only after I found something with familial DNA on it - I went to Forks for that, terrible place, and had a lab test it," he retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "We're the dead Swan twins."

"What? How? Why?"

"I dunno, maybe Agent Burke will find that out for us," he replied calmly. "But what I do know is that we must have stumbled upon this when we were kids at some point and saw the word Swan."

"Where did you find this?"

"Mount Denali."

"Oh, I haven't been there since… you died," she said solemnly as she kept looking at the original birth certificates and reading the names of their supposed parents. "Do you mind if I keep digging? Maybe I can send the results over to Peter."

"What else is there to find?"

"These news articles didn't say anything about who they were, who we were supposed to be. There must be a reason why we were taken. How about looking at the police report of the crash?"

"The FBI can do that."

"The FBI isn't me," she said angrily as she grabbed the folder and walked off to her computer room. "I may only have the function of one good hand, but I can still do what I am good at," Bella muttered under her breath.

Neal watched Bella walk out of the kitchen and looked at Grant. "You didn't give John anything, did you? They don't know yet."

Grant smirked. "Like Bella, I don't trust the Suits and even with one hand, she's better than Auggie. She'll have the complete picture in a few hours and then we can send it off. She deserves this. She's had everything taken out of her hands because there was simply too much. She needs a personal win. She needs to prove to herself that she's still Shitface."

"Look at you, being the psychologist."

"Just looking out for my sister," he replied as he grabbed another cookie. "Speaking of which… I always have someone else forge my stuff for me, but I could really use your help," Grant said as he pulled another piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Neal. "Do you think you can replicate that painting for me? It's for a future job, once this is all over. It needs to be able to pass inspection."

"I don't need busy work, you know," Neal knew the painting quite intimately, having had painted it many times over. "I know I'm the best."

"It's because you're the best I'm asking you. As I said, it's for a future job but it needs to be able to pass all scrutiny."

"Even carbon dating?"

"Yeah."

"I love a good challenge," Neal nodded. "No time pressure?"

"Nah, we're all laying low until this shit is over. With the FBI involved with this, and the trial, things are getting a little bit too hot," Grant replied. "Which is fine by me, gives me more time to dig up shit to hold against Carlisle for Bella. It's the least I can do. I couldn't have been a brother for her since we were nine, but now…"

"She thinks you don't really feel that family connection."

"But I do. I try not to. I'm not brave enough to have anyone in my life I can't walk away from. The Michaels would understand and my adoptive parents would too," Grant sighed as he leaned back in his chair and looked at Neal. "Or, you know, to have someone in your life you'd do anything for, so much that you'd actually get into trouble and have to fight your way out of to make sure that person is safe."

"Oh, I understand," Neal smiled knowingly. "Bella has this way with almost everyone, I guess. One look at her and you just want to protect her and want to make sure she doesn't have to want for anything."

"Yeah, and you're the sucker who fell for that," Grant grinned. "The damsel in distress."

"Oh, no. She's not a damsel in distress. A damsel, yes. But I think she's stubborn enough to have taken down the Cullens all by herself if she hadn't been so distracted by other people coming into her life."

"Going after the Cullens alone would have killed her."

"They almost did. Twice now," Neal pointed out. "And this is why I don't mind having to deal with the FBI or the US Marshals. Once this is all over, she will be safe."

"It's not going to be easy for her, Neal."

"I know," he nodded and let out a breath. "Seeing as she'll be in her man-cave for a couple of hours, I'll be cooking. Are you staying over?"

"Yeah, sure, why not."

~o.O.o~

Bella looked over her wrought iron railing in the computer room when she saw Neal and Grant walk in with food, plates and drinks. "Food?" she asked confused. "Has it been that long?"

"Don't worry, not going to bring it up to you," Neal laughed as he set the food down on the table she had in her room. "But I figured you didn't want to be away from your computer for too long, so Grant and I are coming to have dinner with you here."

"Okay," Bella replied as she turned around to grab a stack of papers and joined her boyfriend and her brother in the lower part of her computer room. "Anything you need me to do?"

"Eat and drink," Neal replied as he pulled a chair back for her. "Did you find anything?"

Bella nodded and put the stack of papers on the table. "I think I'm almost completely down the rabbit hole. When you look at all the reports and files, you definitely see that the accident that killed our birth parents wasn't an accident. I'm pretty sure that if I dig deeper, I will see how Carlisle paid for it to happen."

"You're hacking the police?"

"Well, no, not exactly, seeing as Forks PD only went digital a few years ago. I'm looking for snippets online and as it turns out, someone else had been looking into it. A uh… Phil Dwyer," she said as she took a sip of her drink. "Phil had copies of the reports, I don't know how but he did. The food looks delicious, Neal."

"We really need to find a system for us to just maybe plan every meal of the day for a week or so," Neal laughed.

"Why? I think it's fun to just see what we have and make a meal out of it," Bella shrugged. "Keeps you on your toes, at least," she added with a playful smile on her face. "Anyway, Phil Dwyer was a close friend to the Swans. He started looking into the accident, quietly, and then got into an accident five years later. He didn't die, he kept looking and at some point uploaded it to the internet for safekeeping. I found it."

Bella took a bite of her food and sighed happily. "Geoffrey Swan was the mayor of Forks and his wife Helen a very important influencer. At least, on the surface. Helen had some dirty hands and upset a few people, all behind good Geoffrey's back, of course. Phil suspected that the Swans were killed by members of a European crime family, hired by a family here in the States."

"No way," Grant said shocked. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Can't say for sure it's them," Bella said calmly. "That's what I'm looking for now."

"Can't you ask Phil?"

"He died ten years ago. No living relatives. He was considered to be the village idiot. Convenient, huh?" Bella took another bite of her food and smiled. "I know it's morbid. But I don't know these people and I suppose that if I find as much about them and the whole thing around them it'll make sure that Carlisle will be dropped in a hole that he'll never get out of. I'm going to be as thorough as possible."

"To be honest," Grant said as he took a sip of his beer. "I thought you'd take this the wrong way."

"No. It's just another piece of the puzzle. If Helen Swan screwed Carlisle over, I suppose she had it coming," she then realized something as she sat back in her chair. "Huh. That would actually make so much sense. And it explains a lot when it comes to behavior towards his own kids or why he was so adamant in me staying behind or work from the shadows…"

"Would Garrett know?" Neal asked. "I mean, he and Carlisle were friends, right?"

"Wouldn't Garrett have told me if he knew about this?"

"I dunno, would he? He did come across as wanting the best for you, so maybe if he knew about this, he'd have kept quiet because he didn't want to hurt you."

"If he does know about this, maybe you can persuade him to testify against Carlisle," Grant pointed out.

"He would have told me," Bella said, determined. "But sure, after I've emptied my plate, I'll go and give him a call," she said as she pointed to her computer with her fork. "It would be terribly convenient to have someone alive who knows about that Carlisle did to Geoffrey and Helen Swan. There's no way we can be that lucky."

"You're not even surprised?"

Bella sighed and shook her head. "Nothing surprises me anymore at this point. I just hope that I'm right and that you're wrong. I know Uncle Garrett. He's a good guy, he's done some bad things in the past, but he's a good guy and he's very over protective over me. I haven't been calling him because I want him to be safe, but this is something we need information on," she then scrunched up her nose. "Oh, right, we have to go through Liam, first, because he hid Uncle Garrett somewhere safe and I don't know how to get into contact with him."

After dinner, she went back up to her perch, Grant and Neal in tow and she dialed Liam's number from her masking software on her computer.

"_Yeah?"_

"Hey, Liam."

"_Lass! So good to hear your voice! Neal called me a few weeks ago after getting ya to th'hospital, how are ya?"_

"I'm good, you?"

"_Fit as a fiddle. What can I help ya with?"_

"As you may know, the trial against my siblings has come and gone, and Carlisle's trial is next," Bella replied as she ran a hand through her hair. "I was kinda wondering if Uncle Garrett would be available for me to talk to about something that Grant found out?"

"_Grant? As in ya brother Grant?"_

"He knows about me?" Grant said surprised.

"_Oh, it's no secret that she's half of a twin, lad, but that you're still alive is a miracle."_

"Eh, not really."

Bella could Liam walk away from where he was, opening a door and continuing to walk to open yet another door. _"Hey, gotcha a call from Bells."_

"_Bella, you need to save me, Liam's holding me hostage."_

"_Oh grow up, ya twat. I'm keeping ya safe. Ya not shackled to anything or locked away," _Liam scolded Garrett. _"Once Carlisle is behind bars for good, ya can go and visit Bella in New Orleans."_

Bella hadn't thought about that. She wasn't sure if Garrett and Liam were included in the WITSEC deal of her knowing where she was. Ah, who cared? It wasn't as if Garrett would allow that to stop him from coming around. "Yeah, that's why I'm calling, actually," Bella laughed, shaking her head. "Grant found something and I started to dig, and maybe you know something about this?"

Garrett let out a groan. _"You know I don't like talking about the stuff I did with your father."_

"I know, but when did you two actually decided to work together?"

"_I dunno, a long time ago. You were already there, with Grant."_

"Do the names Geoffrey and Helen Swan mean anything to you?"

"_Should it?"_

"No," Bella replied. "I wish it did, though, sort of, in a way. Grant found something, and all we have is the findings of a village idiot and fake papers and other circumstantial shit. Aside from a lab report proving that Grant and I aren't Cullens."

"_What!_ _Are you telling me that that asshole abducted you as children? Okay, that__'s it. Tell your lawyer or your FBI friends that I want in on bringing him down. I'll happily tell them everything I did for him. It's time we nail that asshole even if that means that I'm going down as well. His recent actions already made me want to come over but Liam insisted I'd stay, but he's not going to hold me back now. Kidnapping children? I draw the line at that!"_

"_You're an ass," Liam scolded Garrett. "You'll be locked up for ya own crimes!"_

"_I don't give a fuck, Liam. You're more than welcome to come with me to the US and watch things from afar, but Carlisle needs to fucking pay."_

"_Aye, I agree."_

"_So tell who you need to tell, Bella, we're coming to bury Carlisle along with you."_

~o.O.o~

WITSEC wasn't so bad. She got to keep everything in her life, including her own home and her friends, and for the first time in her life she felt free. There was no cloud hanging over her head like she had felt in France, there was no pressure, no stupid rules. No, just her and Neal in their home on Dumaine Street.

Peter and Auggie had transferred to New Orleans, and Peter's family had moved with him. Elizabeth was a wonderful woman and Neal was just over the moon with his tiny namesake. Bella had to admit, seeing Neal with a toddler made her ovaries rattle a bit, but she was nowhere near ready for a child. She was old enough, sure, but she didn't feel like she could be a good mother. For now, babysitting Tiny Neal worked.

Maybe they should get a dog from the rescue center or something and see if they could keep it alive.

Neal was working on something for Grant, but nobody was to know, especially not Peter, and Neal even joked that it felt just like old times, doing things right under people's noses for different reasons this time. And Bella happily watched him work while she did her hand exercises.

While she didn't regain full mobility back over her hand, she could still move the middle three fingers and that was fine for now. It wasn't necessary to hit the space bar on a keyboard with two thumbs anyway, and she could train her ring finger to hit all the places she'd hit with her pinkie. But, she now also had to learn how to do things left handedly, because grabbing things were a bitch, so painting was out of the question now too, and that sucked.

Garrett had made a deal with the FBI. He didn't want immunity or any kind of special treatment, but he had offered his services to them so he didn't actually go to jail. Instead, he was sent back to Paris to work there, seeing as he spoke the language.

Bella and Neal spent Christmas at the Michaels with Grant. They celebrated with good food, presents and good music. It felt special to Bella that the Michaels included them in their family tradition of writing wishes down on a piece of paper and burning it. It was similar to blowing out a candle and making a wish while doing so, but this felt different. It was special.

Life felt good. Different. Carefree. Fun.

For New Years, Neal had the perfect gift; they were going to visit every Disney park across the world, spending a week in every city so they could visit the park whenever they wanted to, and on their way back to New Orleans they made a stop at Dollywood.

They were away for two months and of course, they didn't quite behave. Tourists were so easy to manipulate and pickpocket and she and Neal managed to do it so easily.

Upon return to New Orleans, Cole needed Bella's help with something for a new job and just like that, she and Neal were doing back to doing what they loved best, just not in public, but she and Neal could definitely help with forging papers, hacking and other things that needed be done.

It was good living in The Big Easy, and Bella never ever wanted to leave.

***THE END***

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**Coming in 2020: A whole lot more, check my profile for the list!**

**Thank you all for reading and commenting! **

**Happy New Year!**

**xx Buggy**


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